Welcoming Joris to the Lab!
I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Evolutionary Genomics of Pathogens group at the University of Neuchâtel. I completed my BSc and MSc in Plant Sciences at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, specialising in plant pathology. During this time, I contributed to several projects on Panama disease in banana caused by Fusarium oxysporum. After graduating, I moved to Switzerland to pursue a PhD at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), where I investigated anthracnose disease in white lupin caused by Colletotrichum lupini. Following my PhD, I spent one and a half years in industry supporting onion breeding programmes. I then joined the University of Oxford at Magdalen College for my first postdoctoral position, focusing on the evolutionary genomics of Colletotrichum species infecting strawberry, historical genomics, and the development of RNAi-based crop protection strategies. In my current project, I work on the genomics and control of Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of grey mould in numerous crops. I am constructing a high-quality global pangenome with an emphasis on grapevine-infecting strains to better understand the evolution of notorious pathogen.
