Dr. Nico J. Claassens is an assistant professor at the Laboratory of Microbiology, The Netherlands. A core activity of his group is to perform systems-wide metabolic engineering using novel high-throughput genome editing techniques (e.g. recombineering and CRISPR-Cas based) in bacteria. Specifically he focuses on engineering synthetic pathways to support the efficient use of next-generation, sustainable feedstocks, including CO2 and one-carbon-substrates, such as formate and methanol. Furthermore, his work includes the optimization of protein expression (including enzymes and membrane proteins) via both rational design and randomization strategies targeting gene regulatory elements and codon usage. After obtaining his PhD at Wageningen University in 2017, Nico worked as postdoctoral fellow from 2017 till 2019 at the Max Planck Institute Potsdam, Germany with Dr. Arren Bar-Even, supported by a Rubicon fellowship of the Dutch Science Organisation (NWO). In 2019 he obtained a prestigious NWO-Veni grant for talented junior researchers. Furthermore, Nico has broad experience in science communication and outreach; previously he was part of the Dutch  Faces of Science blogging platform and a coordinating member of Science Cafe Wageningen. In 2020 he became a member of Wageningen Young Academy, an interdisciplinary platform of early-career researchers at Wageningen University.