About me

I lead a research group at the intersection of bioinformatics and medical biology, where we build and maintain the software, pipelines and databases used to investigate genomic and metagenomic data. Our team supports the microbiology department of the UMC Utrecht by turning raw sequencing data into actionable findings, through bioinformatic consultation, education, and hands-on analysis of high-throughput sequencing data.

Research focus

My research interest is finding patterns in DNA sequencing data by tracing signals through noise to detect, characterize and connect the entities driving infectious disease. I investigate how mobile genetic elements such as plasmids move, evolve and spread between organisms, with a recent focus on fungal pathogens, and translate these findings into genomic epidemiology used to track and respond to real-world outbreaks. My academic journey includes a PhD tracing the whole-genome fingerprints of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and a postdoc uncovering previously unknown viruses and viral variants hidden within large-scale viral genomic and metagenomic data.

Teaching and advocacy

I am passionate about teaching and mentoring, helping others build the same rigorous, evidence-based habits that make findings reproducible and defensible. I share my enthusiasm for bioinformatics, open science and reproducible research as a way to do difficult tasks better, faster, stronger. As an instructor for university courses and Carpentries workshops, I have also contributed to lesson development as a maintainer of the Data Carpentry Genomics and as a member of the Curriculum Advisory Committee.