Position: tenure-track assistant professor
Research focus: RNA virus ecology and evolution
What do you love about viruses?
How efficient they are given the relatively small size of their genomes (especially RNA viruses) and the very strong evolutionary pressures.
Who is your favourite scientist and why?
Alexandre Yersin, a scientist from the early era of microbiology who lived an amazing life, somewhere between being a medical doctor, a microbiologist, and an adventurer in South-East Asia.
On what topic could you give a 30-minute presentation without any preparation?
Evolution of RNA viruses
What are you currently learning?
Dutch, and how to navigate in academia
If you could create a new invention, what would it be?
An AI that would take care of the most boring parts of my work, so I can focus on the exiting parts!
What is the coolest thing about your research?
Untargeted metagenomics has revealed/reveals how little we know about the diversity of viruses in nature. What is still missing is now to understand the ecology of these viruses; how do they transmit? what influence their distribution? what is their host range?
If you had the option to advise a younger version of yourself, what would that be?
Pay more attention to maths! Mathematics, models, statistics are everywhere, and mastering at least some part of it makes you a more complete scientist.
Is there anything else you would like to share with other EVBC members?
Happy to receive any request for help or collaboration on topics linked to RNA virus evolution and ecology!