TEAM

An Martel

An is a veterinarian (DVM, PhD, DipECZM wildlife population health) with a strong interest in nature and infectious diseases in wild animals. Together with Frank, she is responsible for the WHG research group and is a professor at Ghent University.

Elin Verbrugghe

Elin (PhD) has a biomedical background and is coordinator of the WHG research group. Host and pathogen are the two words that best describe her research interest. By conducting this type of research in wildlife, she wants to contribute to solutions for social issues.

Sofie De Bruyckere

Sofie is a laboratory technician and supports the various WHG researchers with her 20 years of experience in molecular techniques (DNA and RNA extractions, PCR, QPCR,...), cell cultures and general bacteriology. For example, she helps with the processing of diagnostic samples in various research projects. 

Léa Fieschi-Méric

Léa is a postdoctoral researcher applying multi-omics (genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics) to amphibian conservation. After exploring the amphibian skin microbiota during her PhD, she now characterizes host genetic expression in the context of Bsal resistance in European newts.

Kevin Mulder

Kevin is a postdoctoral researcher broadly interested in studying the many different levels of reptile and amphibian biodiversity using evolutionary theory and genomic tools. At WHG his current focus is on identifying the genetic basis of chytrid immunity using both transcriptomic and genomic techniques in a system of hybridizing newts with distinct disease outcomes.

Eduardo Fernandez-Mendelez

Eduardo is a PhD student with a background in amphibian diseases and conservation. He is investigating the possible relationship between different components of the amphibian skin and the pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. 

Valérie Miserez

Valérie graduated from Ghent University in 2023 as a veterinarian with a special interest in wild mammals and infectious diseases. Immediately after her studies, she started a doctoral research at WHG. Her research focuses on potential underlying stressors that can trigger hedgehog diphtheria, a high-mortality ulcerative skin disease in the hedgehog population (Erinaceus europaeus).

Emma Yoon

Emma is a biologist and has already successfully submitted a master's thesis in collaboration with WHG. As a PhD student, she will now proceed on this matter and focus on the identification of biomarkers associated with chytrid infections, such as the molecular composition of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) receptors.

Lars Westerlinck

Lars is an evolutionary biologist with a passion for bioinformatics, genomics, and fieldwork. At WHG, he investigates whether the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans exerts selection on populations of the Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) in Europe. By combining fieldwork with computational analyses, he aims to contribute to the conservation of this European newt species.

Frank Pasmans

Frank is a veterinarian (DVM, PhD, DipECZM herpetology) with a lifelong passion for amphibians and reptiles. Together with An, he is responsible for the WHG research group and professor at Ghent University, more specifically in veterinary bacteriology and mycology, and reptile and amphibian diseases.

Lieze Rouffaer

Lieze is a veterinarian (DVM, PhD, DipECZM wildlife population health) with a special interest in conservation research. Her PhD focused on the interaction between house sparrows (Passer domesticus) and enteropathogenic bacteria over an urbanization gradient. Currently, Lieze provides logistical and research support to PhD students, is involved in student education and advises governments on topics related to disease and public health.

Andrea Barbi

Andrea holds a bachelor's degree in biological sciences and a master's degree in environmental ecology from the University of Turin. As an ecologist he is interested in reptiles, amphibians and nature conservation. Since 2020 he is a PhD student at WHG and his research focuses on the origin of tadpoles' microbiome and the interaction with the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.

Sarah Van Praet

Sarah has been working as a laboratory assistant at WHG since 2016 and supports the various researchers with their projects. She is also responsible for the diagnostic tests that WHG offers.

Cyrelle Houtsaeger

Cyrelle graduated as a veterinarian from Ghent University in 2019. She has done some research on ear health in dogs and gained practical experience in a veterinary practice in northern France. In March 2023, she started her PhD on disease surveillance in wild animals, focusing mainly on the region of the Brussels-Capital Region.

Ellen Blomme

Ellen is a biologist with a background in ecology and statistics. With an interest in conservation, she is currently researching the causes behind the current decline of common toads (Bufo bufo) in Flanders, employing a skill set that combines biological understanding and statistical analysis. With a commitment to biodiversity conservation, she strives to contribute valuable insights that will aid in the preservation of these amphibian populations. 

Ruth Verhamme

Ruth is a bioengineer with a PhD in immunology. At WHG, she will use CRISPR-Cas9 technology to alter specific glycosylation patterns in an in vitro skin model to investigate their role in Bsal colonization.

Charles Duchatel

Charles holds a master's degree in biology from Radboud University in Nijmegen and a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Liège. He has a broad interest in the ecology and physiology of herpetofauna. During this PhD, he will  assess the effects of the pathogen Batracochytrium salamandrivorans in newts, with a strong focus on a wild population of northern crested newts (Triturus cristatus) at an outbreak site in the Netherlands. 

Amadeus Plewnia

Amadeus is a biogeographer with broad interest in conservation research, molecular and disease ecology previously based at Trier University, Germany. At WHG, he is employing genomic tools to investigate biogeography, lineage diversity and host-pathogen interactions of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the tropical Andes of Ecuador.