ABC My name is Joyce van Bree. I am 24 years old, and I was born in the Netherlands. During my double degree, (1) Medical- and (2) Cellular & Molecular Biotechnology, within the Master of Biotechnology at Wageningen University, I conducted research on viral RNA protein interactions at the Laboratory of Virology, I set up a drug screening pipeline to find compounds targeting the blood-feeding and/or haem-detoxification pathway of haematophagous parasites at Monash University’s Laboratory of Immunology & Pathology, and lastly I worked on antivirals and elucidating the effect Ae. aegypti saliva microbiome at Catholic University Leuven’s Lab of Virology and Chemotherapy.

Three key words to describe me are social, hardworking, and curious. Since I was young, I was curious about science but also curious about discovering new places, music, food, arts, other people’s thoughts, and many more things. Following curiosity is definitely a double-edged sword. However, I feel blessed to be curious. The thrill seeking aspect of curiosity has led to me get involved in a volunteering project in Ghana, studying at Copenhagen University, travelling, being part of a board and committees, going to Melbourne for my second master thesis, and following my career path ultimately resulting in this PhD opportunity.
I am sure that curiosity will be of good use during this PhD: new data always arouses a certain excitement that leaves me wanting more, but also I am eager to meet and collaborate with new people.