During my BSc in Animal Sciences at Wageningen University, I gained a fundamental understanding of the biological functioning, health, and behaviour of domestic and captive animals. I continued with the (medical) Biotechnology MSc program at Wageningen University, where I carried out my MSc thesis at the department of Virology at Wageningen University. I continued with a research internship in Brisbane (Australia), where I worked with a mouse model to study the immune response against Zika virus mutants while concurrently exploring areas of vaccine potential. Afterwards, I was eager to learn more about arthropod-borne viruses, their interesting transmission cycle, and the ongoing battle between virus and host. During my PhD, my main focus lies on the primary mode of transmission of arthropod-borne viruses, which is through the bite of an infected mosquito. I want to study the early interactions between virus, vector saliva, and the first organ that the virus encounters: the skin. I am going to investigate if these early interactions subsequently influence the host viremia and viral pathogenesis. Overall, I want to see whether distinct mosquito species trigger different host immunopathogenic responses, accounting for diverse clinical outcomes of viral infection.