Professors

Yves Briers

Yves Briers

Professor

Research

Leads research on the diversity and evolution of bacteriophages and their proteins, and harnesses this knowledge to engineer targeted antibacterial solutions.

Expertise

  • Phage lysins and receptor-binding proteins
  • Phage evolution and engineering
  • High-throughput design and screening
  • Phage-inspired antibacterials

Post-Doctoral Researchers

Agnieszka Latka

Agnieszka Latka

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Research

Studies the horizontal and vertical evolution of receptor-binding proteins in bacteriophages, focusing on specificity determinants and synthetic biology applications.

Expertise

  • Receptor-binding proteins
  • Bacteriophage evolution
  • Molecular evolution
  • Synthetic biology
Dorien Dams

Dorien Dams

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Research

Develops engineered phages and tailocins through receptor-binding protein engineering and modular reprogramming for host-range modification and antimicrobial applications.

Expertise

  • Phage engineering
  • Receptor-binding proteins
  • Tailocin engineering
  • Host-range reprogramming
  • Antimicrobial agents
Kevin De Muynck

Kevin De Muynck

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Research

Investigates the evolution and adaptive strategies of bacteriophages, focusing on host-range determination and receptor-binding protein diversity.

Expertise

  • Bacteriophage evolution
  • Host-range adaptation
  • Molecular evolution
  • Receptor-binding proteins
RV

Roberto Vázquez

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Research

Research profile to be added.

Expertise

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PhD Students

Lisa Mosselmans

Lisa Mosselmans

PhD Student

Research

My research focuses on bacteriophage-derived depolymerases targeting Acinetobacter baumannii. I investigate how enzyme structure and sequence determine capsule (K-type) specificity, activity, and stability.

Expertise

  • Acinetobacter baumannii depolymerases
  • Capsule (K-type) specificity
  • Structure–function relationships
  • Protein engineering
MH

Mathilde Hulsens

PhD Student

Research

Investigates the function, organization, and evolution of hyperbranched receptor-binding protein systems in Klebsiella bacteriophages.

Expertise

  • Bacteriophage receptor-binding proteins
  • Protein engineering
  • Structural biology
Sybil Derck

Sybil Derck

PhD Student

Research

Studies the concerted action of protein recombination and adaptive evolution of phage endolysins.

Expertise

  • Phage lysins
  • Protein engineering
  • Phage engineering
  • Bacteriophage evolution
Yueting Wang

Yueting Wang

PhD Student

Research

Researches protein folding of phage lysins.

Expertise

  • Bacteriophage endolysin
  • Protein engineering
  • Protein folding
Wannes Van Wassenbergh

Wannes Van Wassenbergh

PhD Student

Research

Develops de novo designed phage lysins as novel antimicrobial agents, applying computational and synthetic biology approaches for antibiotic innovation.

Expertise

  • Bacteriophage-derived enzymes
  • Synthetic biology
  • Structural bioinformatics
  • Protein design
Ilaria De Angelis

Ilaria De Angelis

PhD Student

Research

Focuses on bioinformatic analysis of receptor-binding proteins and applied microbiology of bacteriophages for therapeutic and diagnostic applications.

Expertise

  • Bioinformatics
  • Receptor-binding proteins
  • Applied microbiology
  • Genomics
Gilles Vandermarliere

Gilles Vandermarliere

PhD Student

Research

Develops phage lysins and engineered endolysins as novel antimicrobial therapeutics, with applications in veterinary and human medicine.

Expertise

  • Phage lysins
  • Protein engineering
  • Structural bioinformatics
  • Antimicrobial agents
Kenan Meert

Kenan Meert

PhD Student

Research

Research profile to be added.

Expertise

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Associated PhD Students

Victor Németh

Victor Németh

Associated PhD Student

Research

Applies bioinformatics and machine learning approaches to phage therapy, combining computational methods with directed evolution for therapeutic discovery.

Expertise

  • Bioinformatics
  • Phage therapy
  • Machine learning
  • Directed evolution
Julie Bellemans

Julie Bellemans

Associated PhD Student

Research

Develops engineered lysins for veterinary applications, particularly for treating mastitis and other infections using enzyme-based antimicrobials.

Expertise

  • Phage endolysins
  • Enzyme technology
  • Veterinary biotechnology
  • Biocatalysis
Marta Coelho Barbosa

Marta Coelho Barbosa

Associated PhD Student

Research

Focuses on structural and bioinformatic analysis of phage endolysins and their enzymatic properties for antimicrobial applications.

Expertise

  • Phage lytic machinery
  • Endolysin structure
  • Bioinformatics
  • Protein engineering
Inès Ben Abdallah

Inès Ben Abdallah

Associated PhD Student

Research

Research profile to be added.

Expertise

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Magali De Muynck

Magali De Muynck

Associated PhD Student

Research

Engineers bacteriophage-derived endolysins for selective microbiome modulation using targeted antimicrobials.

Expertise

  • Engineered endolysins
  • Microbiome engineering
  • Selective antimicrobials
  • VersaTile platform

Scientists

Joni Bert

Joni Bert

Scientist

Research

Develops engineered endolysins as therapeutic agents, focusing on clinical lysin therapy and protein purification for antimicrobial applications.

Expertise

  • Phage endolysins
  • Protein engineering
  • Protein purification
  • Antimicrobial therapy

Lecture Assistants

Véronique Boudolf

Véronique Boudolf

Lecture Assistant

Research

Supports molecular biology and biotechnology education, helping students develop practical laboratory skills and technical knowledge.

Expertise

  • Molecular biology
  • Biotechnology
  • Laboratory education
  • Student mentoring

Lab Technicians

Bo Wylin

Bo Wylin

Lab Technician

Research

Provides technical support and laboratory coordination for phage research, including protein assays and chromatography analysis.

Expertise

  • Phage protein assays
  • ÄKTA chromatography
  • Lab management

Visitors

Aitana Escolano

Aitana Escolano

Visiting Researcher

Research

Applies metagenomics to study uncultured marine phage-host interactions and discover novel pelagiphage endolysins with therapeutic potential.

Expertise

  • Metagenomics
  • Marine phage research
  • Pelagiphage endolysins
  • Aquaculture applications
Celia Ferriol-Gonzalez

Celia Ferriol-Gonzalez

Visiting Researcher

Research

Investigates the evolution of Klebsiella phages and their adaptation strategies for host specificity and therapeutic phage targeting.

Expertise

  • Klebsiella phage evolution
  • Host-range specificity
  • Receptor-binding proteins
  • Machine learning for phage-host prediction
Salomé Desmecht

Salomé Desmecht

Visiting Researcher

Research

Develops recombinant phage endolysins as novel antimicrobial therapeutics against Aeromonas salmonicida for aquaculture and disease control.

Expertise

  • Phage endolysins
  • Enzybiotics
  • Aeromonas salmonicida
  • Aquaculture antimicrobials
Steven De Soir

Steven De Soir

Visiting Researcher

Research

Research profile to be added.

Expertise

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MP

Magdalena Plotka

Visiting Researcher

Research

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Expertise

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Alumni

Iris Pottie

Iris Pottie

Alumni

Research

Develops functional metagenomic approaches to discover and characterize bacteriophage-derived lysins from environmental sources for precise antimicrobial applications and microbiome modulation.

Expertise

  • Metagenomic discovery
  • Phage lysins
  • Functional screening
  • Environmental microbiology
  • Antimicrobial design
Emma Cremelie

Emma Cremelie

Alumni

Research

Focuses on computational analysis and structural insights of bacteriophage endolysins, leveraging bioinformatics tools and structure prediction to advance antimicrobial enzyme design.

Expertise

  • Phage endolysins
  • Computational structural analysis
  • Bioinformatics
  • Protein design
  • AlphaFold structure prediction
Dimitri Boeckaerts

Dimitri Boeckaerts

Alumni

Research

Develops machine learning and bioinformatic approaches to understand Klebsiella phage-host specificity and therapeutic phage design.

Expertise

  • Klebsiella bacteriophages
  • Machine learning
  • Phage-host specificity
  • Predictive bioinformatics
Bjorn Criel

Bjorn Criel

Alumni

Research

Investigates the diversity, evolution and structure-function relationships of bacteriophage endolysins, with focus on cell wall recognition and enzymatic mechanisms for antimicrobial applications.

Expertise

  • Phage endolysins
  • Cell wall biology
  • Enzyme specificity
  • Evolutionary analysis
  • Antimicrobial design
Lisa Duyvejonck

Lisa Duyvejonck

Alumni

Research

Utilizes functional metagenomic strategies to discover novel bacteriophage lysins from environmental sources for antimicrobial applications.

Expertise

  • Metagenomic discovery
  • Phage lysins
  • Functional screening
  • Protein engineering
Babette Lamote

Babette Lamote

Alumni

Research

Develops designer protein scaffolds and cellulosomes for synthetic biology applications, engineering modular enzyme complexes for improved biocatalytic activity and industrial bioprocessing.

Expertise

  • Synthetic protein scaffolds
  • Cellulosome engineering
  • Designer enzyme complexes
  • Bioprocess engineering
  • Industrial biotechnology
Celia Pas

Celia Pas

Alumni

Research

Investigates phage tailspike modularity and receptor-binding protein specificity for engineering targeted phages and therapeutics.

Expertise

  • Phage tailspike engineering
  • Receptor-binding proteins
  • Host specificity determination
  • STEC targeting
Hans Gerstmans

Hans Gerstmans

Alumni

Research

Research profile to be added.

Expertise

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Julie Vanderstraeten

Julie Vanderstraeten

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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Karim Abdelkader

Karim Abdelkader

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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Maria Fonseca

Maria Fonseca

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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Niels Vander Elst

Niels Vander Elst

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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Marte Elias

Marte Elias

Alumni

Research

Research profile to be added.

Expertise

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DGF

Diana Gutierrez Fernandez

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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Vincent De Maesschalck

Vincent De Maesschalck

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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VM

Veerle Maervoet

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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MG

Michael Goossens

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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Dennis Grimon

Dennis Grimon

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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FD

Fien Drijvers

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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LDS

Lenny De Staercke

Alumni

Research

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Expertise

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Philippe De Groote

Philippe De Groote

Alumni

Research

Research profile to be added.

Expertise

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Silke Vlyminck

Silke Vlyminck

Alumni

Research

Research profile to be added.

Expertise

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