As I have always been fascinated by the diversity of plants, I chose to study plant sciences for my Bachelor and Master studies at Wageningen University. During my Master, I became more interested in understanding plant evolution and its drivers. This led me to choose subjects for my research internship and MSc thesis that allowed me to dive deep into the evolution and trait diversity of several diverse plant groups. Inspired and motivated by these projects, I started my PhD research for which I am investigating the evolutionary history of the highly allopolyploid fern genus Cystopteris in Europe using genomic and phenotypical data. This work aims to uncover the complex relationships within this genus, to understand how characters evolve in such a system, and to get an insight into the true taxa of Cystopteris in Europe. 

Advisor: Dr. Michael Kessler, Co-Advisor: Prof. Dr. Carl Rothfels (Utah State Univerity, United States)

2024 – current
Doctor of Philosophy "Evolutionary Biology", Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich 

2021 – 2024
Master of Science "Plant Sciences", Wageningen university
Specialization: "Plant Pathology and Entomology"
Thesis: "Seed dispersal evolution in angiosperms"
(Supervised by: Dr. Renske Onstein and Dr. Freek T Bakker) 

2018 – 2021
Bachelor of Science "Plant Sciences", Wageningen University
Specialization: "Plant Genomics and Health"
Thesis: "Investigating the genetic diversity in beet yellows virus and the possible effects on mature plant resistance in sugar beet"

Projects 

2022 – 2023
MSc Research Internship, Wageningen University, Hortus Botanicus Leiden, Institute of Biology Leiden
“Glandular diversity and evolution in Drosera L."
(Supervised by: Dr. Roderick Bouman, Prof. dr. Paul J. A. Kessler, and Dr. Freek T Bakker) 

2021 – 2022
MSc Research Assistant at the laboratory of phytopathology, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
“Exploring antagonism between endosymbionts of Corylus avellana kernels”