Born and raised in Lo, a small city (yes, it's a city!) in Belgium, close to the French border. Apart from some medieval buildings, we even have a tree where Caesar once hung his horse to. After obtaining my MSc degree in engineering (biochemistry & biotechnology) I started my PhD at Ghent University. For 4.5 years, I investigated the role of phototrophic, autotrophic and diazotrophic bacteria in ice-free Antarctic samples taken close to the Belgian Princess Elisabeth Station. After my PhD, I explored the microbiological aspect of bakery products at Lantmännen Unibake. However, because I missed scientific research a lot, I moved back to Ghent University to do a postdoc in the Laboratory of Microbiology. During this 18 month stay, I mainly focused on genomics, comparative genomics and Nanopore sequencing. Apart from work, I enjoy long walks in nature and playing badminton. Have been a member of the KSA since I was a kid. These days I can't join activities and summer camps anymore as a kid, so now I join as a cook (I love to cook and to eat), which takes up a lot of my weekends and holidays.