Research Board
The most recent change has been in the directory: Nanne de Boer has succeeded Stan van de Graaf, after seven years as AGEM co-drector!
Furthermore, after nearly seven years, Anje te Velde will end her term as research board member after organizing and attending the 2024 AGEM retreat in March. She will be succeeded by Manon Wildenberg, associate professor/PI at the Tytgat Institute and the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Anje te Velde
"It is great to see how the research institute has grown in recent years. For me the interaction with the young researchers is very meaningful and I have always enjoyed the network meetings. I have learned a lot from research outside the G of AGEM, and I have met many kind fellow researchers. A personal highlight for me has always been the yearly retreat!
The freed up time in my schedule has already been filled with teaching tasks, also as a member of the admission committee and the Board of Study, for the master’s program Biomedical Sciences at the UvA. And in my free time with the chairmanship of the scientific advisory committee of the Burn Foundation and as scientific advisor of Your Lifestyle as Medicine.
I hope my successor Manon with have an equally pleasant collaboration with the directors and with Eva and Esther, who make you even happier to help out!"
"I originally trained as a basic immunologist, and have worked in gastroenterology since 2008. My current research focus is on inflammatory bowel disease, and in particular its complications (fistula, stenosis, wound healing disturbances). Translational science is the core of our work, and I really enjoy the collaboration with clinical partners in the department of Gastroenterology as well as Surgery.
As an AGEM RB member I hope to contribute to the collaborations within the institute as well as with other research institutes and partners. Due to the increasing complexity of science, joining forces in terms of knowledge, materials and data will be essential to break new barriers and improve healthcare as well as health itself."
Manon Wildenberg
Young AGEM
Last year, Young AGEM was formed: a group of four enthusiastic, early to mid-career scientists that will join the research board. Their goal is to actively involve the younger researchers in AGEM to ensure that the AGEM direction aligns with what is happening at all levels of the institute.
Signe Mosegaard Nielsen
"I am a postdoctoral Fellow at the Laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases. My research focuses on the development of stem cell derived models for rare inherited metabolic diseases and using these to detect novel disease mechanisms and testing alternative treatment strategies."
Patrick de Jonge
"I am a postdoctoral researcher at the department of experimental vascular medicine, where I started after obtaining my PhD from Utrecht University in 2020. My main research focus are viruses of microbes called bacteriophages and how they interact with bacterial populations in the human gut."
Bruno Sovran
"I am a senior scientist working within the AGEM in Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research and Pediatric Surgery Department. In AGEM, I lead research around the role of Tryptophan metabolism in (pediatric) intestinal health and disease. I was recently appointed assistant professor at the Emma Centre for Personalized Medicine to carry on research on pediatric intestinal failures."
Alicia Furumaya
"I received my PhD degree at the Department of Surgery on benign liver tumors and cysts, in which field I am still active as a researcher. I am currently working as a medical doctor working at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Alkmaar."
Principal investigators
In 2023, we welcomed five new AGEM principal investigators to our research institute:
- Prof. dr. Joost Drenth, gastroenterology and hepatology
- Dr. Reinier van Hest, clinical pharmacology
- Dr. Bart Koot, pediatric gastroenterology
- Prof. dr. Elena Levtchenko, pediatric nephrology
- Dr. Sybren Meijer, pathology
Policy office
In 2022, Maartje Schots joined the AGEM policy office to make the 6-year evaluation of the research institute into a success. But, because she followed her dream job in Public Health all the way to Sudan in 2023, she was succeeded by Esther de Regt.
Maartje Schots
"During my time at AGEM I particularly enjoyed helping organize our retreat – it was very stimulating to bring all our young and talented researchers together in the same room! Another highlight were the 1:1 conversations I had with many of our PIs, gathering their insights on how AGEM could support their research groups even better.
My time at AGEM has helped me develop my strategic evaluation skills, through my involvement in the 6-year evaluation of the institute. I have also learned how rewarding (and sometimes challenging) it can be to bring together such a diverse group of researchers under the umbrella of one research institute.
I hope my successor Esther will have many insightful conversations during her time at AGEM and that she is able to take the institute to the next level, while developing her personal and professional skills."
"I studied Biology at Utrecht University, with a focus on cell, developmental and neurobiology. After that, I was looking for a way to expand my horizon and ended up choosing the master’s degree Biology & Science Communication and Society at Leiden University. I applied all my knowledge while working at Leiden University for the Science Skills Platform and part time for Globe Nederland.
After my subsequent nine-month trip to South America, I was looking for a new challenge, which I found in working for the AGEM research institute!
So far, I have been enjoying the challenge of developing a more strategic mindset. I am positive that the directors, Anita Boelen and Nanne de Boer, my fellow policy officer Eva Dirkx-Beuling and I will be able to take the institute to the next level!"
