2017 - present: associate professor (tenured)
2013 - 2017: MacGillavry fellow and tenure track assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam
2011 - 2013: senior postdoc at the Netherlands Cancer Institute
2008 - 2011: postdoc with prof.dr. Roel Nusse at Stanford University, USA
1999 - 2005: PhD thesis research with prof.dr. Anton Berns at the Netherlands Cancer Institute
2005 PhD (cum laude) from the Universiteit van Amsterdam
1999 MSc (cum laude) from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2014 NWO VIDI grant
2013 NWO Aspasia (declined)
2013 KWF persoonsgebonden financiering
2013 MacGillavry fellowship
2007 4-year KWF fellowship for fundamental cancer research
2007 longterm EMBO fellowship
Development of a multicellular organism requires tight control of cell proliferation, differentiation and polarized cell movements to ensure the correct assembly of cells into complex tissues. The same molecular mechanisms that normally guide these biological processes in the developing embryo, maintain tissue homeostasis in the adult. When disrupted, they are the underlying cause of degenerative diseases, tumor formation and, ultimately, aging.
But how does a single fertilized oocyte ultimately grow out into a complex animal with billions of specialized cells that carry out very different functions? And how is tissue function and integrity maintained in the adult? These are central questions in biology.
All multicellular animals use Wnt signal transduction as a molecular mechanism to control cell division, differentiation and movement. Our goal is to understand how this pathway operates at the molecular level to control complex cell behavior in 3D space and time.
With a specific focus on Wnt signaling in the context of mammary gland development and breast cancer, my research team aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that control complex and dynamic cell behavior in development and disease. For this, we operate at the exciting interface of developmental, stem cell and cancer research to dissect basic principles of biology from man our mouse to molecule.
For more information, visit our lab website.