Microbes are true
team players
PLATFORM COORDINATORS

Prof. dr. H. Smidt
Heads the Molecular Ecology Group at the Laboratory of Microbiology (MIB, WUR), which investigates diverse natural and man-made microbial ecosystems. He is Facility Coordinator of UNLOCK and manager of the Biodiscovery Platform.

Dr. ir. A.A.M. Langenhoff
Is Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental Technology (ETE, WUR), which has a strong background in research and development of natural technologies for recovery and reuse of pollutants. She is manager of the Modular Bioreactor Platform.

Dr. R. Kleerebezem
Is Associate Professor at the Department of Biotechnology (TUD), a group which is worldwide leading in research on cultivation, system analysis and functional development of microbial ecosystems. He is manager of the Parallel Cultivation Platform.

Dr. P.J. Schaap
Leads the Computational Biology group at the Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology (SSB, WUR), a multidisciplinary team with experts in the fields of Genomics, Bioinformatics and Applied Statistics. He is manager of the FAIR Data Platform.
General assembly

Prof. Dr. M. Suarez Diez
Is Chair holder of the Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology (WUR), which aims at elucidating and modelling interactions among microbes and between microbes and their environment.

Prof. dr. J.T. Pronk
Is Head of the Department of Biotechnology at TU Delft. As full professor in Industrial Microbiology, he is fascinated by quantitative physiology and metabolic engineering of industrially relevant microorganisms.

Prof. dr. T.J.G. Ettema
Is Chair holder of the Laboratory of Microbiology (WUR). He also leads a research group focusing on the diversity and evolution of microbial life on Earth

Prof. Dr. Ir. Huub H.M. Rijnaarts
Is Chair holder Environment and Water Technology, and head of the of the Environmental Technology group (ETE, WUR). His expertise is on microbiological processes to remove organic micropollutants and pathogens from water, sludges and soils and to anaerobically transform waste organics to reusable products.
ASSOCIATED STAFF

Dr. S. Deshpande
Is an Assistant Professor at the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter (PCC, WUR). His interests lie in biological soft matter, self-organisation, bioengineering, and on-chip microfluidics. He has a strong liking for interdisciplinary, collaborative research.

Dr. J. Hohlbein
Is an Associate Professor working at the Laboratory of Biophysics (BIP, WUR) and the Microspectroscopy Research Facility (MSC, WUR). The research in his group is focussed on exploring DNA-RNA-protein interactions in live bacteria and performing functional food imaging using super-resolution microscopy and related techniques

Dr. C. Furlan
Is a lecturer and expert in proteomics at the Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology (WUR).
RESEARCH STAFF

Dr. G.R. Stouten
Is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Biotechnology (TUD), and is expert in parallel cultivation of microbial communities.

Dr. M. Atasoy
Is a Postdoctoral researcher at Biodiscovery Platform (WUR) and Modular Bioreactor Platform (WUR), and is an expert in biobased materials production by microorganisms.

Dr. L. Puentes Jacome
Is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Biotechnology (TUD), and studies anaerobic mixed microbial cultures that contain organohalide-respiring bacteria which are of interest for bioremediation.

Dr. V. Harshothama Damle
Is a Postdoctoral researcher at WUR and is an expert in Optical Spectroscopy and Molecular Photonics with special emphasis on application of Raman Spectroscopy in Nano-Metrology. His current research at WUR focuses on development of RACS using Optical Tweezers.

Dr. J.J. Koehorst
Is staff member at SSB (WUR), is an expert in FAIR data approaches to large scale genomics, with hands-on experience in applying Semantic Web technology in the Life Science domain.

Dr. W. Scott
Is a Postdoctoral researcher at the FAIR Data Platform (WUR), and is an expert in dynamic and metabolic modelling.

Dr. A. Pedrouso Fuentes
Is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Biotechnology (TUD) and studies wild fermentation products yielding from complex substrates.

N. Baig, MSc
Is a researcher at the Biodiscovery Platform (WUR). His main experience lies in molecular biological as well as cultivation-based studies of plant-associated microbiomes.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT STAFF

T. Schonewille, BAS
Is Workgroup Technician at SSB (WUR) and has experience in molecular biology, screening methods, chromatographic techniques. Responsible for the correct functioning of the laboratory.

J. Zamudio, MSc
Is Research Assistant at the ETE (WUR) with expertise in data analysis and chemical analysis using chromatographic techniques and NMR.

A. Jonkers, BSc
Technician at UNLOCK and the Laboratory of Microbiology (WUR). She received her bachelor’s degree at Hogeschool Leiden and did her internship at the University of Amsterdam in molecular research.

M.T. van den Broek
Is an all-round Technician at ETE (WUR). He is responsible for the construction of the modular bioreactors and of the data acquisition & controlling systems of this platform.

Ing. D. Geerts
Is Research Technician at the Department of Biotechnology (TUD) with expertise in fermentation, process control, and data acquisition and control systems.

K. de Carlo, MSc
Is Fermentation Technician at the Department of Biotechnology (TUD) and is responsible for the equipment and the supervision of the laboratory.
UNLOCK OFFICE

M. Wijntjes
Is Manager Daily Operations. She’s first point of contact at UNLOCK and responsible for daily operations, such as Customer Relationship- and Contractmanagement and coordinating front- and back office.

J. Elzinga, MSc
Is responsible for the website, social media and other dissemination and communication activities of UNLOCK. As a PhD candidate at the Laboratory of Microbiology (WUR), she has a background in microbiology.