van der Giezen Laboratory

Group leader

Professor Mark van der Giezen

Professor and Associate Director for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich. [click to reveal]

My research explores intestinal microbiology and how microbial eukaryotes adapt biochemically to life in the gut of humans and animals. I completed my PhD at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) before moving to London for postdoctoral research at the Natural History Museum and Royal Holloway, University of London. There, I studied the evolution and biochemistry of anaerobic microbes, including those living in the human intestine.

I became Lecturer in Microbiology at Queen Mary University of London before moving to the University of Exeter, where I became Associate Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry. During this time, my work expanded to include livestock and aquaculture microbiomes, intestinal parasites, and the role of microbes in both human and animal health — combining evolutionary biology with applied research.

In 2019, I moved to Norway to join the University of Stavanger as Professor of Biological Chemistry. There, I set up a research programme on intestinal protists in collaboration with clinical partners at the academic hospital and introduced several teaching innovations within the MSc Biological Chemistry programme.

Now, I am Professor and Associate Director for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) from the University of Greenwich as , where I lead interdisciplinary research on host–microbe–environment interactions across human, animal, and environmental systems, and help shape NRI’s research strategy, grant development, and academic mentoring.

I also keep a temporary part-time affiliation with the University of Stavanger to continue supporting my PhD students and ongoing research projects.

CV Mark van der Giezen

Postdoctoral scientists

Dr Yohannes Seyoum

[click to reveal]

This project brings together expertise in intestinal disease, clinical histopathology and intestinal molecular microbiology. Stavanger University Hospital has been involved in clinical trials on inflammatory bowel disease (led by Tore Grimstad). Funded by the Research Council of Norway; jointly supervised by Professors Emiel Janssen and Tore Grimstad.

PhD students

MitchellRey Toleco

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Mitochondrial biochemical peculiarities of the intestinal parasite Blastocystis. Funded by the Research Council of Norway; collaborations with Edmund Kunji (Cambridge), Tasos Tsaousis (Canterbury) and Pieter van West (Aberdeen).

Ankana Banerjee

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Clinical histopathology and intestinal molecular microbiology in IBD, in collaboration with Stavanger University Hospital (Tore Grimstad). Funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Karlijn van Dijk

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Treatment-driven colitis and impacts on the intestinal microbiome; collaboration with Oncology and Pathology at Stavanger University Hospital (Emiel Janssen). Funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Jeff Tomiak

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UiS PhD student based at Statens Serum Institut (Copenhagen) with Rune Stensvold; focusing on intestinal microbiome analyses in the DanFunD cohort, and collaborating with Allan Linneberg (Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen).

Marie Pažoutová

[click to reveal]

Based at the Institute of Parasitology, České Budějovice (Czechia) with collaborators Martin Kolísko and Kateřina Jirků; exploring protective roles of Blastocystis in rodent models.

Petra Tláskalová

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Starting at the Institute of Parasitology, České Budějovice (Czechia) with Martin Kolísko and Kateřina Jirků.

MSc students

Junia Raquel Lima Nunes

MSc student at NordicDX developing novel diagnostics relevant for human and animal disease.

Renate Paulsen Nygård

MSc student at NordicDX developing novel diagnostics relevant for human and animal disease.

Alumni

Daniel Nagel — Former MSc student.
Ayanara Mae Sadi Brukneberg — Former MSc student.
Luz Martinez Contreras — Former visiting researcher (2023–2025), Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico.
Dr Vera Sideraki — Former postdoc (2023–2025), now science teacher at the International School of Stavanger.
Hedvig Svensson — Former MSc student (2023–2024), now technician at NordicDX, Norway.
Chikwe Chukwudiegwu Mbachu — Former MSc student (2023–2024), now researcher at NORCE, Norway.
Dr Martin Watson — Former postdoc (2020–2022), now researcher at Nofima, Norway.
Dr Eva Pyrihová — Former postdoc (2020–2023), now researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology, Prague, Czechia.
Gillian Tawse — Former MSc student (2022–2023), now technician at NordicDX, Norway.
Ine Holand — Former MSc student (2022–2023).
Marthe Tofthagen — Former MSc student (2021–2022), now PhD student at OsloMet, Norway.
Dr Franziska Trusch — Former postdoc (2021–2022), now postdoc at Imperial College London, UK.
Dr Georgios Kontellas — Former PhD student (2015–2022), now postdoc at the University of Exeter, UK.
Dr Skye Marshall — Former PhD student (2016–2021), now Scientific writer/editor at Notch Communications, UK.
Dr Anabel Rice — Former PhD student (2017–2021), now Senior Policy Manager (Genetic Technologies) at the Food Standards Agency, UK.
Regine Haugland — Former MSc student (2020–2021), now laboratory technician at Tine AS, Norway.
Kaneez Fatima — Former MSc student (2019–2020), now PhD student at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Dr Corey Holt — Former PhD student (2015–2018) and postdoc (2019–2020), now Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the University of Bath, UK.
Dr Maulood Turfah — Former PhD student (2014–2019), now Lecturer at the University of Baghdad, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Iraq.
Dr Jamie McFadzean — Former PhD student (2014–2019), now Vaccination & Research Policy Lead at the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Dr Diana Minardi — Former PhD student (2013–2017), now Molecular Biologist at Cefas, UK.
Dr Sheera Abdulla — Former PhD student (2011–2016), now Laboratory Manager at The Rosalind Franklin Institute, UK.
Dr Michael Bottery — Former MRes student (Bioinformatics, 2013), now Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow at the University of Manchester, UK.
Dr Maria Siegesmund — Former PhD student (2007–2011) and postdoc (2011); now at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Experimental Phycology & Culture Collection of Algae) and retrained as secondary school science teacher, Germany.
Dr Kerem Terali — Former PhD student (2006–2010), now Associate Professor at Near East University, Cyprus.
Dr Kailash Chand — — Former postdoc (2009–2010), now Scientist E (Ramalingaswami Fellow) at the National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, India.
Dr Joseph Harvey — Former Wellcome Trust Vacation Scholar (Summer 2010), now at Appleton Woods Ltd.
Dr Ifeanyi Nwachukwu — Former MSc Biocatalysis student (2009), now Assistant Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at the School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, USA.
Dr Nebibe Mutlu — Former Erasmus placement student (Summer 2009), now Associate Product Manager at Lonza, USA.
Dr Karleigh Hamblin — Former PhD student (2005–2008), now at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, UK.
Dr Matthew Rogers — Former postdoc (2007–2008), now Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, USA.