Marjon de Vos – PI

I am an assistant professor at GELIFES at University of Groningen (The Netherlands) where I investigate the ecology and evolution of bacteria derived from polymicrobial (infectious) ecosystems, and antibiotic resistance.

I teach and coordinate part of the BSc and MSc courses on Evolutionary Medicine and Microbiome.

Additionally, Coordinator of the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health FSE Hub – Fundamental Science for Health and Environment, member of the scientific steering committee of the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, member of the International Advisory Board of The Lancet Microbe. I served as vice-chair of The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) core committee Health Protection (Gezondheidsbescherming); Infectious Diseases, Antibiotic Resistance and Pandemic Preparedness.

Past

As a NWO VENI postdoctoral fellow at the laboratory of Genetics at Wageningen University I investigated the evolution of antibiotic resistance and microbe-microbe interactions in polymicrobial infections.

During my postdoc in the Biophysics and Systems Biology group at IST Austria (group moved to Cologne) I worked on microbial interactions in bacterial communities derived from patients suffering from urinary tract infections, and antibiotic resistance.

During my PhD in the Biophysics group at AMOLF I studied genetic and environmental interactions that determine the course of evolution. The results were described using the fitness landscape metaphor.

Yvonne van Katwijck – Secretariat 

Email: y.m.van.katwijck@rug.nl

Tel: +31 50 36 37652

Jolanda Brons – Technician

Email: J.K.Brons[at]rug.nl

Tel: +31 50 36 32191

I have been a molecular biology research technician at the University of Groningen since 2001.

My role within the group is quite diverse, next to supporting the group, running the lab and performing field work I also have my own research projects.

In my current research project I am focusing on virulence genes in E. coli in urinary tract infections.

Freya Darling Eriksen – PhD student

I am a PhD student in GELIFES investigating the eco-evolutionary dynamics of urinary tract infections (UTIs). My project aims to better understand the underlying drivers of UTIs by focusing on the role of bacterial community interactions on uropathogenic growth and diversification.

I am originally from California (USA), and my background is primarily in wildlife ecology and evolutionary biology. I earned my MSc from the MEME Evolutionary Biology program and completed thesis projects at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands) and Uppsala University (Sweden). My interest in microbial community dynamics began during my MSc project in Groningen, where I investigated higher-order interactions of uropathogenic bacteria.

My project is co-supervised by Rampal Etienne (University of Groningen) and Marnix Medema (Wageningen University). My PhD is also a part of the ENW-XL consortium project ‘Urinary Tract Infections Revisited: Microbial Eco-evolutionary Drivers and Regulators’ (UTIr).

Nanyang Li – PhD student

I’m a PhD student with a background in food microbiology, currently exploring bloodstream infections. My research focuses on identifying specific bacterial traits and growth patterns in Escherichia coli that contribute to urosepsis. I hope to improve the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.

In my previous research, I’ve worked on the effects of biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles on gut health, particularly in managing inflammatory bowel disease. It’s all about figuring out the intricate interactions among microbes, which I believe is key to developing innovative solutions for pressing health challenges.

My project is co-supervised by Dirk-Jan Scheffers, Thomas Hackl, and Rampal Etienne, and is in collaboration with Axel Hamprecht (Oldenburg, DE).

Clementine Sey – PhD student

My research focuses on improving our understanding of sepsis, a complex and urgent medical challenge. Specifically, I will be phenotyping sepsis-causing microbial isolates and investigating their interaction
with the host immune response.
Building on my MSc in Biomedical Sciences, where I specialized in immunology, I will work
in microbiology and apply my skillset to research this important topic.

The interdisciplinary nature of this project may contribute to a better understanding of the complex disease pathology and support the development of sepsis-specific biomarkers. This could ultimately
guide the identification and development of new therapeutic targets.

The project is a collaboration with Dr. Janesh Pillay and Prof. Dr. Jon Laman (UMCG), and part of the UEFxHTRIC Consortium.

Pablo Gallardo – postdoc 

I am a biochemist and postdoctoral researcher at GELIFES, University of Groningen. My work focuses on microbial eco-evolutionary dynamics and host-pathogen interactions as part of the NWO ENW-XL consortium project “Urinary Tract Infections Revisited: Microbial Eco-evolutionary Drivers and Regulators (UTIR).” I study the growth and behavior of microbial communities—both commensal and pathogenic—associated with urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women.

I have extensive experience in gut microbiota research, particularly studying the role of bacterial metabolites in infections. During my PhD at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and the University of Chile, I analyzed metagenomic and metabolomic data to explore the gut microbiota’s impact on diarrheagenic E. coli infections in children. With a strong background in microbiology, bioinformatics, and metagenomics, my research covers the development of specialized culture media, microbial evolution experiments, and the analysis of complex microbial consortia. I’m passionate about uncovering new insights into microbial behavior and its implications for human health.

In addition to my research, I have worked in molecular diagnostics at the Hospital Dr. Luis Calvo Mackenna in Santiago, Chile, where I developed PCR protocols for SARS-CoV-2 detection and contributed to pediatric clinical diagnostics. Beyond science, I co-founded INFOMIGRA, an NGO dedicated to supporting vulnerable immigrant communities in Chile. Co-supervised by Alan Wolfe (Loyola Chicago).

MSc students

Saoirse Landers – MSc student RUG. Working with Freya Darling Eriksen on the UTIr project.

Andrew Monaghan – MSc student RUG. Working with Freya Darling Eriksen on the UTIr project.

Pavan Mundya Amruth Raj – MSc student RUG. Working with Jolanda Brons on the UTIr project.

Danique Noordhoff – MSc student RUG. Working with Clementine Sey on the sepsis project.

BSc students

Maria Jové Casals – ERASMUS BSc student. Working with Freya Darling Eriksen on the UTIr project.

Gerald Wittenaar – Hanze BSc student. Working with Freya Darling Eriksen on the UTIr project.

Kaity-Lynn Buiting – Hanze BSc student. Working with Pablo Gallardo Molina on the UTIr project.

Past members

PhD students

Lars Zandbergen – PhD student – Zandbergen, L. (2025). From ecology to evolution: The influence of microbial communities on uropathogen. Collaborations with Alan Wolfe, Thomas Hackl.

Misshelle Bustamante – PhD Student – Bustamante, M. (2025). Eco-evolutionary interactions and the spread of antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic microbial communities. Collaborations with Sander van Doorn, Oscar Kuipers.

MSc students

Lars ten Brinke – MSc student RUG. Worked with Freya Darling Eriksen on the UTIr project.

Jennifer van der Sluis – MSc student (Wageningen University) .Worked with Pablo Gallardo on the UTIr project

Karla Müller – MSc student, Erasmus Mundus Precision Medicine. Worked with Misshelle Bustamante on urosepsis isolates. A project in collaboration with Axel Hamprecht (Oldenburg, DE).

Floor Koopman – MSc Student RUG. Worked with Misshelle Bustamante on HGT in UTI-related bacterial communities.

Si Nguyen Mai – Ecology and Evolution MSc student. Worked on a computational project on bacterial interactions limiting disease, with Chris Barnes and Neythen Treloar (UCL, UK).

Freya Darling Eriksen – MSc MEME student RUG. Worked with Lars Zandbergen on higher-order ecological interactions in urinary bacteria.

Jesper Mertens – MSc Biomedical Sciences student RUG. Worked with Misshelle Bustamante on HGT in UTI-related bacterial communities.

Afra Salazar de Dios – MSc MEME student RUG. Worked on HGT together with Franjo Weissing and Sander van Doorn.

BSc students

Tyrsa Veld – BSc Hanze student. Worked with Freya Darling Eriksen on the UTIr project.

Corné van der Zeeuw – BSc Hanze student. Worked with Freya Darling Eriksen on the UTIr project.

Tymo Ijedema – van Hall BSc student. Worked with Misshelle Bustamante on urosepsis isolates. A project in collaboration with Axel Hamprecht (Oldenburg, DE).

Ivi Koffie – Internship Student (Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences)

Noor van Bree – Internship Student (Hanze University of Applied Sciences)

Jaimy Ernsten – Internship Student (Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences)

Lisanne Zoethout – Internship Student (Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences)

Isabelle van der Windt – Internship Student (Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences)