Specialization
Reproductive Biology
Focus of research
Bio-sketch
Callista Mulder is an assistant professor at the Amsterdam UMC where she focusses on the preclinical development of spermatogonial stem cell-based male fertility restoration therapies for those who currently cannot have a biologically own child otherwise, including childhood cancer survivors, patients with benign hematological disorders and transwomen. In her work, she aims to develop effective novel treatments in the laboratory and performs preclinical safety studies for both recipient and offspring derived from these experimental fertility techniques. In her PhD, she was the first to investigate the long-term health of SSC transplantation recipients and offspring. After PhD graduation, she took part in a project that showed that testicular organ cultures of different mouse strains have a diverse differentiation potential. Callista contributed to a large cohort study that proved the presence of spermatogonia in a majority of transwomen, thereby opening up new fertility preservation strategies for them. Over the years she has developed expertise in the fertility preservation, spermatogenesis, and the molecular biology and histology of testicular cells, including epigenetic and transcriptomic regulation. While focusing on the male in Amsterdam UMC, she did a postdoctoral training on ovarian cortex cryopreservation at the RadboudUMC and was a visiting postdoc in Adelaide, Australia. Next to her research, she is active in public engagement, as shown by her nomination for the "Klokhuis Wetenschapsprijs", participation in the "Holland's Next Embryo Model" festival tour, and various (online) lectures for people outside academia. She is also a member of the Amsterdam Young Academy (AYA).
Education
2012-2018 PhD in Reproductive Biology (UvA)
Thesis: "Safeguarding medically assisted reproduction"
2011-2012 University Teaching Qualification (BKO) (VU)
2009-2011 MSc Biomedical Sciences (VU)
2006-2009 BSc Health & Life Sciences (VU)
Main research interests:
Spermatogonial Stem Cells, Molecular control of spermatogenesis, Male infertility, Safety of (novel) reproductive techniques, Fertility preservation
Academic Research experience
2023 - present Assistant professor at the Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC – location Academic Medical Centre (AMC) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
2018 - 2023 Postdoctoral researcher at the Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC – location Academic Medical Centre (AMC) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
2018 - 2019 Visiting postdoctoral researcher at the Adelaide Medical School and Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
2017 - 2018 Postdoctoral researcher at the department of Obstretrics and Gynecology, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
2012 - 2017 PhD candidate at the Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Academic Medical Centre (AMC) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2011 Second master internship at the laboratory of Cell Growth and Proliferation, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
2010 First master internship at the division of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI-AvL) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
2008 - 2009 Bachelor internship at the Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Academic Medical Centre (AMC) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Academic education experience
2019 – present Lecturer and coordinator of the MSc Course “Shaping a human” of the MSc track Developmental and Therapeutic Biology, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2018 - present Supervisor of PhD students (as co-promotor) of Robin Struijk (defense date 20-09-2022), Joana Bispo Serrano (defense date 7-12-2022), Jillis van Maaren (defence date 25-07-2025), Iris Sanou (2020-present), Mathangi Lakshmipathi (2022-present), Madalena Vas Santos (2022-present), Britt Balvers (2024-present), Emma Schram (2025-present).
2012 – present Supervisor of numerous BSc and MSc students during their research internship or literature thesis.
2012 – present Guest lecturer at the department of Health and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Lectures on Gametogenesis and Career Development.
2011 - 2012 Junior university lecturer at the department of Health and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Involved in teaching bachelor courses: Human Life Cycle, Human Development and Scientific Processes.
Leadership & societal impact
2018 - 2019 Junior policy advisor for the Amsterdam Reproduction and Development research institute. Tasks: organisation of annual symposium and retreat, internal and external communication, annual report, coordination of travel grants for PhD students (Part-time position).
2017 – 2018 Mentor at the Foundation “Stichting Giving Back”, an organisation that enables ambitious high school students with a limited network to develop themselves in an intensive mentor course in the Netherlands (Volunteer position).
Peer recognition
International collaboration
2022- present
Pioneering member of the world-wide ORCHID-NET network for male fertility preservation. Co-author of the Good Practice Recommendations for fertility preservation in boys.
Selected fellowships and Awards
Nominated for the Klokhuis Wetenschapsprijs with the project “Can you make sperm or eggs in the laboratory?“ as representative of the HipGametes consortium (2024).
Amsterdam UMC Starter Grant “The support in sperm formation: a cure for male infertility” (2023)
ZonMW “Verspreidings- en implementatie-impuls” (VIMP) Research Grant. “Becoming a father after childhood cancer using own frozen spermatogonial stem cells: a qualitative focus group study” (2022)
ZonMW Off Road Research Grant: “Timing is key: the biological clock in spermatogenesis” (2021)
Nominated for the New Scientist Science Talent Prize by the University of Amsterdam faculty of Medicine (social outreach award) (2021)
Amsterdam Reproduction & Development research institute “In Between” Research Grant: “Securing a fertile future for young boys with leukemia: the role of somatic cells in vitro” (2019)
Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences Ter Meulen Grant (number TMB18-345): “Learning from the SCOPE/STOP study: how to follow-up on children’s health born from novel assisted reproductive techniques?” (2018)
Selected lectures and presentations
Mid-night invited speaker Museumnacht Leiden: entitled "ZAAD: van bal tot lab" (2025)
Plenary speaker at GRC Germinal Stem Cell in Barcelona: "Temporal maturation dynamics in the human fetal and prepubescent testis" (2025)
Invited to speak during the symposium: "Embryo-model: wat staat er op het spel?" (2025)
Plenary speaker during the Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Institute: "Transgenerational transmission of risk: lessons from the lab"(2025)
Invited as plenary speaker at the ECA2024 (European Congress of Andrology), Stockholm: "Spermatogonia on ice and in vitro" (2024)
Invited as plenary speaker at the NYRA (Network for Young Researchers in Andrology), Brussels: "Safety does not happen by accident" (2024)
Invited speaker at the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences “40 years Ter Meulen Grant” Symposium. On stage interview and group discussion about fertility preservation for young transgirls (2023)
Invited presentation for the annual Science Day of society for Dutch Clinical Embryologists (KLEM) ‘Fertility preservation for transwomen, what are the options?” (2022)
Invited presentation for the first symposium on Animal (Free) Research, as a delegate for Amsterdam Reproduction and Development research institute: ‘A fertile future for boys with cancer: an (animal-free) path to the clinic?” (2022)
Invited presentation for the Amsterdam Reproduction & Development research institute 5- year anniversary event: “The road to human in vitro spermatogenesis.” (2021)
Invited presentation for the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gyneacology (NVOG) “Fertility preservation for young boys with cancer: safety first?” (2018)