PhD students

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's thesis at LMM, she is continuing her work in the field of infectious agents as a PhD student, investigating the pathogenesis of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) strains, which are a major cause of bloodstream infections in children and immunocompromised patients. In addition, she is also responsible as a teaching assistant for the practicals and the administrative organisation within the infectious disease courses of the Bachelor of Medicine and the Master of Infectious and Tropical Diseases.

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 investigating linezolid and vancomycin resistance in enterococci, in collaboration with the Antwerp University Hospital and Sciensano. More specifically, her work focuses on unravelling the potential reasons behind the low prevalence of linezolid and vancomycin resistant enterococci (LVRE).

Office: S.625

E-mail: anouk.braspenning@uantwerpen.be  

Tel.: +32 3 265 93 25

​List of Publications​

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 

​Purity obtained her Master of Science in Medical Microbiology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in 2024. Before joining the Laboratory of Medical Microbiology as a PhD student, she worked at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) on antimicrobial resistance and enteric disease surveillance. Her current research focuses on characterizing O-antigen structural variation in invasive Salmonella isolates from Africa to better understand serovar diversity and predict vaccine coverage.

Office: S.625

E-mail: Purity.Kasiano@uantwerpen.be​