I started my academic journey at the University of Antwerp in Belgium, where I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biochemistry and biotechnology. During the first semester of my master’s program, I had the opportunity to enroll in the master's program of Neurochemistry with Molecular Neurobiology at Stockholm University in Sweden. This experience not only enriched my academic knowledge but also significantly contributed to my personal development.

For my master’s internship and thesis, I joined the RNA-immunotherapy group led by Prof. Dr. Niels Schaft and PD Dr. Jan Dörrie at the Uniklinikumin Erlangen, Germany. My thesis focused on the functional characterization of novel CAR-T cells designed to target uveal and cutaneous melanoma. During my time in Germany I could see myself working in academia and it didn’t take long before I realized that I wanted to pursue a PhD. My work on these CAR-T cells was honored with the KVCV Award from the Royal Flemish Chemistry Association.

My academic journey is just beginning with my PhD at Amsterdam UMC as part of the MIRACLE network, a role that I am truly excited about. During this time, I will investigate how the immune system influences cardiometabolic diseases, particularly atherosclerosis, with a specific focus on macrophages. By employing bioinformatics tools, I aim to identify relevant upstream regulators of macrophages and further investigate their function in inflammation in vitro using knock-out models for selected regulators. Eventually, I plan to validate my in vitro findings through in vivo models.

In addition to my passion for science, I have been playing classical guitar for ten years, which I love to do. Recently, I also started exploring the bass guitar. In addition to playing music, I love attending concerts and festivals. I also like to travel and explore new cultures whenever I can. Additionally, dancing has been a lifelong passion of mine, and I hope to continue this throughout my PhD journey.