Board Members - WIAS Magazine

In the beginning of 2023 I started my PhD, focusing on the use of spray-dried porcine plasma powder to treat dogs with chronic gut problems.

Not long after the start of my PhD, I joined the WIAS magazine board. I have always been interested in scientific communication and the WIAS magazine seemed the ideal place to learn more and get to know new people. Additionally, being the board really helps in getting to know WIAS and the many research groups involved in animal sciences. I hope to be able to contribute both by writing my own articles and convincing many other PhDs and Postdocs to write about their research for the magazine!

I am a PhD student at the groups animal breeding and genetics and adaptation physiology. My work focuses on the genetics of harmful behaviour in pigs as part of the IMAGEN project.

I joined the WIAS Magazine because during my exchange in Sweden I was a member of the student newspaper and I really enjoy the process of creating a magazine. In the WIAS Magazine I mostly contribute to the editorial aspect of contacting authors and reviewing articles. Furthermore, I enjoy writing lifestyle articles as I feel that it is important to mix up all the science with some lighter pieces.

I really appreciate the opportunity to be in contact with a wide range of WIAS students as part of being a board member and I am looking forward to reading about more inspiring projects!

I’m a PhD candidate at the Aquaculture and Fisheries group (AFI). In my research I focus on modelling the biomass production from combined seaweed-mussel cultivation in offshore wind farms, and to assess the impact on marine ecosystem dynamics, using Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory.

I have a background in both biology and earth science, where I learned about behavioural ecology and chronobiology during my master’s in Ecology & Evolution at the University of Groningen, and about micropalaeontology and palaeoclimatology during my master’s in Palaeobiology at Uppsala University and Université Lille 1.

I joined the WIAS Magazine because I enjoy socialising and hearing what other people work on and learning from them. I also like the whole process of producing a magazine: from brainstorming new ideas, to reviewing articles and putting content online. I wrote for the Groningen biologists’ magazine a long time ago, notably some excursion reports and a poem.

I'm a PhD student at Host Microbe Interactomics and Human and Animal Physiology. In my PhD I study intestinal health, microbiota and metabolism in zebrafish, with a focus on the cytokine interleukin-22 to link all these themes together.

I joined the WIAS magazine because I'm super interested in science communication. Previously, I volunteered at the Dutch Irritable Bowel Syndrome Organization, where I "translated" scientific publications into articles for the general public. And now I get to read all the wonderful research of my fellow WIAS colleagues, and collaborate in a great team to publish a great WIAS magazine each quarter!

I’m a PhD student in the Animal Production Systems group. In my research I analyse the perceived justice of the food system transition in the North of the Netherlands.

I joined the WIAS magazine board in 2021, first by helping Kaylee to set up the magazine and then by supporting the publications of the first eight editions of the magazine. It has been interesting to think through the submission process and to finetune the administrative behind-the-scenes work. I have also enjoyed writing the word of the board together with other board members, coming up with fun ideas for articles, and reading about the work of other WIAS PhDs and Postdocs when reviewing submissions.

I’m a doctoral student within the aquaculture and fisheries group where my research focuses on enhancing our understanding of the immune system in carp.

I joined the WIAS magazine board in 2021 and have been part of the magazine since our first publication. Initially I was in charge of managing the magazine website and have continued to fill this role as a board member of the magazine. In addition to this I have written several articles for the magazine and have developed a keen interest in the editing and reviewing process of our featured articles. The toughest part of my role as a board member is procuring articles for our editions but over time and with proper planning this process has also become easier.

I really enjoy our quarterly celebrations with each edition and by being part of the WIAS magazine I have learned a lot about our graduate school, the people in it and of course the fascinating science!

I am a PhD candidate in the aquaculture and fisheries group, where I focus on molecules and cells directing inflammation with zebrafish as my model. (Read more in my article in the 2022 Summer edition ;)

When I started with my PhD journey, the idea of starting a magazine was in the air, yet it remained a blank canvas. I have always enjoyed sharing knowledge and writing, and I was looking for ways to deepen my connection with the WIAS community. With these interests in mind, I seized the opportunity to launch the WIAS magazine, guided by the principle that 'Science connects us all.' The first edition was a labor of love, taking nearly six months of dedication and effort to publish online. Since then, we've successfully published four online magazines annually, neatly bundled into a printed magazine.

Time truly flies when you're having fun, and that is exactly why we took time after publishing each edition to celebrate with the WIAS magazine board. Over my two publishing cycles as editior-in-chief, involving eight online and two printed editions, I enjoyed numerous highlights—editing submitted articles, immersing myself in the WIAS community, handling layout for the printed bundle, and the joy of collecting the very first printed magazines. Next to that witnessing the development of the magazine each edition has been particularly memorable part of the journey.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has played a role in the WIAS magazine journey: board member, author, or reader! Without your involvement, we wouldn't have been able to shape the magazine into its current form, and I’m curious to see what the future holds.