have recently graduated from Vrije Universiteit Brussel's (VUB) Applied Physics and Photonics department of Engineering faculty (EMSP programme). I specialized in biomedical physics and optics at VUB and currently reside in Brussels, Belgium. I have an insatiable desire in Bio- and Medical-Photonics, namely emerging imaging, diagnostics, and treatment techniques. Being fond of computational, experimental, and theoretical fields, I actively look for challenges in different interdisciplinary fields.

To take a step further in my area of interest, I have taken on a new challenge as a doctorate candidate in the Biophotonics Laboratory of Brussels Photonics under supervision of Prof. Heidi Ottevaere. This thesis goes with the following topic: "SERS-based lab-on-a-chip for rapid diagnostics and antibiotic susceptibility testing". To realize an accurate and rapid detection and identification of different bacteria in human and animals, we will build on the demonstrated benefits of using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) biodetection platforms – i.e. antibody-labelled metallic nanoparticle structures which enhance the confocal Raman scattering response of the target analyte to facilitate its detection – and target unique features, in terms of sensitivity, specificity, stability, practicability and implementation ability. Moreover, we aim to develop a lab-on-chip consisting of microfluidics combined with clever target-capture, positioning and signal enhancement elements and equipped with miniaturized surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy detection to robustly identify pathogens and provide information on their antibiotic susceptibility (AST) directly from a biological (urine or respiratory) sample at high and fast throughput.