CV Merle van Gelder

It has been incredibly hard to quit my PhD, but it has also opened various doors for me. At first, I started looking for new opportunities in research. I soon noticed that I was still too frustrated about not succeeding in my PhD trajectory and that I needed some time to think about what I truly wanted. A vacancy appeared for a temporary position at KiKa (the Dutch Children Cancerfree foundation). I found back my enthusiasm and passion for research at this wonderful organisation. Never in my previous work life have I been welcomed with so much kindness and gratitude. From day one I have felt appreciated and this was exactly what I needed. At KiKa I coordinate the reviewing process of grant applications. My responsibilities include the communication with our scientific board and applicants, the selection of reviewers and the monitoring of scientific quality of ongoing research projects. I truly enjoy my time at KiKa, but since my colleague will eventually come back from m

I started my PhD project at the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam in February 2018. An exciting opportunity where I had the chance to work on a collaboration project between two departments. Unfortunately, I decided to quit due to an internal reorganisation in which my supervisor had to leave the work floor. Although this was not what I had hoped for when I started this trajectory I am very proud of myself. Sometimes you have to choose what is best for you and I truly believe that not succeeding at something is not the same thing as failure. I have learned so much during these one-and-a-half years and this experience has made me even more determined that I want to continue in research.  My research was focused on the molecular characteristics of prostate cancer and how this relates to the composition of the tumor micro-environment. I spend quite a few hours on my flow-sorting skills, managed to learn the basics of programming in R and I had some great presentations at bigger and smaller meeti

Charmed by the German work environment, I decided to conduct my final research project in Cologne. I had an amazing time in the lab of neuro-immunology, which I even extended for a few months.  Here I studied Zika virus tropism to human Schwann cells and its implications for Guillain-Barre syndrome. I had the chance to work with three different Zika virus strains and tried to elucidate how infection could lead to auto-immune neuropathy.  Moreover, I made friends for a lifetime and I still visit Cologne multiple times a year.

Back in the summer of 2016 I had one of the biggest opportunities of my life: I started a research project at the renowned DKFZ (German Cancer Research Center) in Heidelberg. The application procedure was tough but I received a travel grant to make this all possible. I spent the summer in Heidelberg with nine other international students that were selected for this program. I had the chance to work on a very challenging project in which I tried to unravel the mechanism of action of a novel natural compound in Glioblastoma cancer stem like cells. Besides my laboratory work I completed several courses to improve my personal skills. It was a wonderful time and I am so happy I took this chance. I even got to introduce the "vrijmibo" in my department. Cheers to that!

This was the very first research project that I started during my Masters programme in Biomedical Sciences. It was quite an experience, because the research group was literally on the move. I started out at the University Medical Center in Amsterdam, we spent a weekend on Texel and halfway my internship we relocated to the Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology.  Despite the logistic struggles I had a great time with this particular research group. My supervisor was a great guy who really challenged me to be innovative, creative and work independently. Mostly due to this internship it became clear to me that I wanted to pursue a career in research.  My research project was focused on the particular role of a substrate in Ras-MAPK signaling in Neuroblastoma. It has been the basis for all molecular techniques that I know of today. During my final presentation I could proudly announce that I finished 1,2 Western Blots on average a week for 7 months.