About me

I am an associate professor in the Biosystematics Group at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, led by Prof. Eric Schranz. My research focuses on the evolutionary pathways that have given rise to intricate interactions between plants, butterflies, and moths (Lepidoptera), their symbiotic microbes, and their natural enemies (hymenopteran parasitoids). Beyond my interest in the fundamental aspects of the evolutionary ecology of insect-microbe-plant interactions, I aim to transfer this knowledge to society and stakeholders.

As an entomologist in the Biosystematics Group, I am an educator, ambassador, and advocate for insect biodiversity and conservation. I teach two BSc courses on arthropod biology, systematics, and biodiversity: the first-year course "Biodiversity of the Netherlands" (BIS-10306), which is obligatory for all Biology and Forest and Nature Conservation students, and the second-year course "Webs of Terrestrial Diversity" (BIS-21306), obligatory for all Ecology specialization students within Biology. Both courses include excursions and practicals in small groups, where students learn the basic principles of arthropod identification using morphological and molecular tools. My primary mission is to inspire students and raise awareness about (1) the diversity of arthropod species and their interactions with other organisms, (2) the importance of insect identification, (3) their role in providing essential ecosystem services and economic value, and (4) the necessity of insect protection and conservation.

I contribute to insect conservation and seek solutions to prevent an ‘ecological Armageddon’ by participating in biodiversity inventories and measurements that have led to the identification of new species. Through my research, I strive to understand the evolution of species interactions that drive insect biodiversity. I aim to develop approaches for agriculture that integrate multiple pest management strategies, focusing on biological control, crop resistance, and diversity. These pesticide alternatives are part of a sustainable agriculture and circular agrofood system advocated by the Dutch government and the EU, ultimately helping to preserve and even increase insect biodiversity.

My research goals include understanding (1) the evolutionary, genetic, and molecular mechanisms of a butterfly egg-killing plant trait triggered by the pest insects in economically important cabbage crops, (2) the evolution of butterfly anti-sex pheromones and their potential constraints by tiny Trichogramma egg parasitoids, natural enemies of butterflies and moths. Additionally, I am involved in projects on (3) urban biodiversity, supervising a PhD on insect biodiversity on green roofs (BiodiverCity), (4) biocontrol of olive fruit flies in Crete, Greece, and the butterflies and moths of cabbage in Germany, and (5) tripartite interactions.

between the fungus Fusarium attacking banana plants and the banana weevil together with Desalegn Etalo and Gert Kema from Phytopahtology.

Students that are interested in joining me are welcome, check for MSc/BSc thesis possibilities!

Curriculum vitae

Expertise:

Evolutionary, chemical, behavioral and molecular ecology

Current position:

Associate professor at Biosystematics group, Wageningen University (WU), The Netherlands

Degrees:  

2006 Dr. rer. nat., Freie Universität (FU) Berlin, Germany

2000  Diploma Biology, FU Berlin

Working experience:

  • Assistant professor at Biosystematics group, WU (2016 – 2018)
  • Humboldt research fellow at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany (2016)
  • Visiting professor at FU Berlin (2015)
  • Visiting research fellow at FU Berlin (2014 – 2015)
  • Two post-doctocs researcher at Laboratory of Entomology, WU (personal NWO Veni grant and personal DFG research grant) (2007 – 2014)

Grants and scholarships:

  • Open competition grant by Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, NWO (2021)
  • Personal grant for talented experienced researchers to develop own research line (VIDI), NWO (2015)
  • Alexander van Humboldt Research fellowship for experienced researchers (2014)
  • NWO Aspasia grant to encourage the promotion of female Vidi grant candidates to an associate professorship (2014)
  • Personal grant for talented young researchers (VENI) by NWO (2009)
  • Research fellowship for highly qualified young researchers by German Research Foundation, DFG (2007)
  • Exchange grant for young scientists funded by the European Science Foundation, ESF (2006)
  • Ph.D. talent grant from the Berliner Graduierten Förderung (NaFöG) at FU Berlin (2002)

Invited presentations:

2023 Entomology congress, Bolzano, Italy

2020 Netherlands Annual Ecology Meeting, Lunteren, The Netherlands

2019 Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding, Cologne, Germany

2018 12th annual EPS workshop on Plant-insect interactions, Leiden, The Netherlands

2018 Dies Natalis 100 years. Unravelling Life: Wisdom and wonder. Wageningen, The Netherlands

2017 Gordon Research Conference Plant-Herbivore Interaction, Ventura, CA, USA

2017 Annual meeting Experimental Plant Sciences, Lunteren, The Netherlands

2015 Panhellenic Entomological Congress, Heraklion, Greece

2015 Colloquium of the CRC973 ‘Priming and Memory of Organismic Responses to Stress’, FU Berlin

2015 Symposium on the Use of Egg Parasitoids in Agriculture, Agri. University of Athens, Greece

2014 Netherlands-Japan Seminar on Parasitoid Biology, Wageningen

2014 Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Seminar, Neuchatel, Switzerland

(Co-)Supervision MSc, PhD and Postdocs:

6 BSc, >30 MSc, 7 PhDs and 5 Postdocs (2004-present)

Teaching activities:

2016-present: Webs of Terrestrial Diversity (BSc), Wageningen University

2016-present: Biodiversity of the Netherlands (BSc), WUR

2015: Human Ecology - How microbes affect our life (BSc), FU Berlin

2015-2016: Schreiben naturwissenschaftlicher Texte (Scientific writing) (BSc), FU Berlin

2010-2015: Ecological Aspects of Bio-interactions (MSc), WUR

2003-2015: Supervision practicals in different MSc and BSc courses, WUR

Whiteboard animation on egg-killing plants

Watch this whiteboard animation with drawings by myself and animated by Corine Feenstra, videojournalist at WUR. It was made for my Dies Natalis talks #WUR100 (see post March 21, 2018).

A butterfly female lays her eggs on the lower side of the leaf (shot 1). The female carefully glues the eggs onto the leaf surface with the help of a secretion released from the ovipositor (shot 2). With some plants these eggs develop to caterpillars without the plant noticing it (shot 3). After a couple of days the caterpillar emerges (shot 4-6), and often first feeds on the egg shell (shot 7) before it starts to feed on the plant. Many caterpillars can eat whole plants (shot 8). Some plants have developed a way to prevent eggs from hatching (shot 9-10). Those plants can recognize the egg upon deposition often by the egg glue between the egg and the plant (shot 11). We have been showing that the egg glue itself contains molecules that trigger an egg-killing cell necrosis, called hypersensitive-like response resembling disease resistance responses. Probably, the egg molecules (EAMPs) bind to plant receptors on the plasma membrane (shot 12). After the molecules bind to the receptors, the latter become activated (shot 13) and trigger a cascade of reactions and molecules that migrate through the cell and induce it to respond. The cell responds with the expression of certain defence genes (shot 14) that eventually lead to the necrosis (shot 15-17). So far, we neither know the nature of the egg molecules nor which receptors or genes are involved that lead to egg-killing. The necrosis and maybe some chemicals produced lead to the egg shrivelling and sometimes falling off the plant (shot 18). Instead of being eaten the plant can nicely grow and reproduce – if no other invaders are attacking her (shot 19).