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De Storme Lab
LABORATORY FOR PLANT GENETICS AND CROP IMPROVEMENT
Meet the Members of the PGCI Lab
Nico De Storme
Principal Investigator
Research Interests:
Meiosis
Plant reproduction
Pome fruit genetics
Crop breeding
Plant biotechnology
2013
Ghent University, Belgium
Cell and Gene Biotechnology
PhD
2006
Ghent University, Belgium
Bioscience Engineering
MSc
Tine Verhoeven
Laboratory Manager
Eva Vanden Broeck
Secretary
Aybars Koç
Postdoctoral Researcher
Hanne Claessen
Postdoctoral Researcher
Han Palmers
Postdoctoral Researcher
Astrid Severyns
PhD Student
Research Interests:
Tropical crops
Innovative plant breeding
Crop improvement
Engineering of meiosis
Diploid gametes
2020
University of Leuven, Belgium
MSc
2018
University of Leuven, Belgium
BSc
Goytom Berihun
PhD Student
Research Interests:
Polyplodization
Plant abiotic stress resistance
Plant-pathogen interactions
2017
Wageningen University, Netherlands
MSc
2011
Aksum University, Ethiopia
BSc
Research Interests:
Bud dormancy
Plant abiotic stress resistance
Pome fruit breeding
2018
Hawassa University, Ethiopia
MSc
2005
Mekele University, Ethiopia
BSc
Seifu Fetena Fela
PhD Student
Rohit Sangwan
PhD Student
Research Interests:
Plant Genetics
Crop Improvement
Haploid Induction
Plant Molecular Biology
2022
University of Potsdam, Germany
MSc
2018
Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra, India
BTech
Lucas Philips
PhD Student
Research Interests:
Meiotic recombination
Pome fruit breeding
Plant gene editing
2023
University of Leuven, Belgium
MSc
2020
UCLL, Belgium
BSc
Jarne Sels
PhD Student
Research Interests:
Meiotic cell division
Molecular biology
Crop improvement
2024
University of Leuven, Belgium
MSc
2022
University of Leuven, Belgium
BSc
Research Interests:
Cell division
Abnormal growth
Gene editing
Bjarne Debaere
Master Student
Florens Thirion
Master Student
Research Interests:
Pome fruit breeding
CRISPR-based gene editing
Agrobacterium-mediated transformations
Eveline Van den Steen
Master Student
Research Interests:
Crop improvement
Sustainable food production
Plant molecular biology
Plant diseases and immunity
Bjorn Arickx
Master Student
Research Interests:
Crop improvement through gene editing
CRISPR
Developing new techniques for gene editing
and plant breeding
Former Members
German Vighi - March 2025
Pollien Aert - October 2024
Mireia Uranga Ruiz De Eguino - August 2024
Marie Sarens - January 2024
Evelien Waegneer - December 2023
Sergej Pracek – June 2022
Anze Svara – June 2022
Jolien Smessaert – March 2022
Eline Lemmens – November 2021
Sanne Torfs – March 2021
Amelie Grammen – July 2020
Stijn Vanderzande – July 2019
Nick Hias – August 2019
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