PhD students

Juan Pablo graduated as a Bachelor in Biotechnology at Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Seville) in 2016 and as a Master in Microbiology at Universidad de Granada in 2018. As a PhD student at the Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, he studies the microbiome of patients suffering from Respiratory Tract Infections and the effect of antibiotic intake in these patients.

Office: S6.25
E-mail: juanpablo.rodriguezruiz@uantwerpen.be
Tel.: +32 3 265 93 25

​List of Publications​

Minh is a PhD student at the Laboratory of Medical Microbiology. She received her Master degree in Biomedical Sciences of Tropical and Infectious Diseases from the University of Antwerp in 2017. Minh is interested in the driving forces underlying the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in complex settings of community, hospitals, and environment. Her current research is using next-generation sequencing techniques to finely dissect the genetic changes associated with the adaptation and evolution of pathogens under antibiotic pressure at country-, hospital- and individual-levels.

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Office: S6.25
E-mail: minh.nguyenngoc@uantwerpen.be
Tel.: +32 3 265 93 25

​List of Publications​

Thomas graduated as a Master of Biological Sciences from Utrecht University in 2016. He is currently working at the Laboratory of Medical Microbiology at the University of Antwerp as a PhD student. His project looks into the fundamental and clinical aspects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in European intensive care units with a focus on collateral antibiotic treatment effects.

Office: S6.25
E-mail: thomas.vanderschalk@uantwerpen.be
Tel.: +32 3 265 93 25

​List of Publications​

Sahaya Glingston graduated as a Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology from Anna University, Chennai in 2014 and as a Master of Technology in Biotechnology at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati in 2018. He was a Junior research fellow at the Organelle Biology and Cellular Ageing Lab (OBCAL) in Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati before joining as a PhD student in the Laboratory of Medical Microbiology. He is involved in studying the molecular mechanism of colistin heteroresistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli.

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Office: S6.25

E-mail: SahayaGlingston.rajakani@uantwerpen.be​

Tel.: +32 3 265 93 25

​List of Publications​

Sam obtained his degree of Medical Doctor (MD) in 2017 at the University of Antwerp, after which he started his advanced master of specialized medicine in laboratory medicine, with a focus on clinical microbiology. During his traineeship, he worked in various microbiology laboratories in Antwerp and started his PhD on the molecular background of antimicrobial resistance at the Laboratory of Medical Microbiology after graduating in 2022. Additional to this research, Sam also works for the Hospital Outbreak Support Team (HOST) for the ZNA-GZA hospital network, the 3th largest hospital network in Europe.

Office: S.625

E-mail: Sam.VanGoethem@uantwerpen.be ​

Tel.: +32 3 265 93 25

​List of Publications​

Enya obtained a Bachelor degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Antwerp and graduated as a Master in Biomedical Sciences – Environmental and health sciences in 2022. Her passion for microbial genetics was fueled by her Master thesis about Whole genome sequencing of extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli, which led her to apply for a PhD position at LMM. 

When she is not at LMM, you can usually find her on a tennis court, hiking through nature or bickering with her two sisters.

Office: S.625

E-mail: enya.arconadanuin@uantwerpen.be  

Tel.: +32 3 265 93 25

​List of Publications​

Lara graduated with a Master of Biomedical Sciences: Infectious and Tropical Diseases from the University of Antwerp in 2022. Following her master thesis at LMM, she is continuing her work as a PhD student on the characterisation and dynamics of pneumococcal populations in Belgium. More broadly, she is also investigating the interactions between commensals and pathogens in the respiratory tract using co-cultures and biofilm models.

Office: S.625

E-mail: lara.dierckx@uantwerpen.be  

Tel.: +32 3 265 93 25

Anouk graduated with a Master of Biomedical Sciences: Infectious and Tropical Diseases from the University of Antwerp in 2023. She did her master thesis at LMM on the prevalence and spread of colistin heteroresistance among Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated from various ICUs in Europe which further sparked her interest for the field of microbiology and antibiotic resistance. She currently works at LMM as a PhD student within the NeoIPC project on the acquisition and transmission of antibiotic resistant bacteria in NICUs.

Office: S.625

E-mail: anouk.braspenning@uantwerpen.be  

Tel.: +32 3 265 93 25

​List of Publications​

Servaas earned his Master of Biomedical Sciences, specializing in Infectious and Tropical Diseases, from the University of Antwerp in 2024. His master's thesis at LMM investigated the gut microbiome and resistome in sub-Saharan children hospitalized with severe pneumonia as part of the PediCAP study. He is now pursuing a PhD to further this research and will also contribute to the NeoOBS study, which focuses on neonatal sepsis.

Office: S.625

E-mail: servaas.hiel@uantwerpen.be 

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Ine graduated with a Master in Biomedical Sciences, specializing in clinical research, from the University of Antwerp in 2024. After completing her master thesis at LMM, she continued as a PhD student to further her research on Salmonella Typhimurium and its evolutionary adaptation toward invasiveness. Her work focuses on understanding the role of horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of invasive Salmonella strains in sub-Saharan Africa to gain insights into bacterial pathogenicity.

Office: S.625

E-mail: ine.hoeben@uantwerpen.be