An often overlooked aspect of this pandemic is the unfortunate loss of unique opportunities for young scientists to cultivate a deeper love for science, develop new skills, connect with (inter)national mentors, grow their professional networks, and open doors to new opportunities. University labs, companies and other institutions normally organize summer projects to enrich young researchers’ […]
Category Archives: Blog
Diverse inside and out: vaginal microbes differ with ethnicity?
Every time I read about a study on the microbiota composition whether it is from the gut, skin, or vagina, I wonder with which bacteria am I sharing my body. As a Peruvian researcher living in Belgium and now being involved in the Isala project, I also wonder about my vaginal microbiota composition and the ones from women like me: women […]
Face masks: always a healthy choice during this COVID-19 pandemic?
Due to the corona pandemic, Belgium went into lockdown starting from the 18th of March 2020. Multiple changes in our day-to-day life had to be made as more and more regulations came into place. Physical distancing and wearing face masks are the ‘new normal’ in our country at the moment. Moreover, face masks are increasingly […]
Starting a PhD during lockdown
When you start a new job, you always have the first-day or even first-week jitters. For me, this was not any different. My first workweek was quite unusual as it coincided with the lab retreat. This week was full of meetings, workshops and the ongoing and upcoming research projects were discussed. This retreat was a great opportunity to get to know my colleagues and their research topics. If […]
WANTED: 200 vagina’s to write history #LetsSwab
Today, after a year of hard preparational work, we are launching our Isala project!! Yes, in the midst of the corona-storm, because legendary projects require epic times and also because good timing is overrated. So let me tell you about Isala and how you can really make a difference for your own health and that […]
Lab Retreat 2020
Lize Delanghe & Eline Cauwenberghs During the last few months, a lot has changed in our lab. Some of our beloved postdocs decided to change university scene and a lot of new PhD students started. Additionally, our PI, Sarah Lebeer, received an ERC Starting grant (yeey!). Therefore, we decided that it was time to sit together with a […]