Biography

During a BSc in Biology at Utrecht University, I became especially interested in protein structure. The images of 3D structures that could exhibit mechanical movement to drive biological processes captivated me. Hence, I followed this interest by doing an internship in a research institute in Berlin during a gap year. That year I also travelled by car from the Netherlands to China and experienced first-hand the social challenges faced by LGBTQI communities along the way. This sparked an interest in human rights in the Middle East and Central Asia. And during my subsequent MSc in Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences, I actively engaged in advocacy and activism with a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights organisation. As part of my MSc, I worked in a research group at Utrecht University and at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge. In the latter, I focused on an approach that has only recently become possible – to study the structure of multi-protein complexes by cryo-electron microscopy. Visualizing the structure of these large molecular machines is fascinating and can considerably aid drug development for disease-causing protein variants. I am excited to continue this research at the LMB during a PhD in Biological Sciences. I will study the structure of “two-legged” proteins that can physically walk along fibres inside our cells. Furthermore, I remain a human rights advocate and look forward to joining the diverse and proactive Gates Cambridge community.

Previous Education

Utrecht University