VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology

KULeuvenX: Beer: the science of brewing | edX Ever wondered why your beer tastes the way it does? Learn how the ingredients, different biochemical reactions and process parameters in beer brewing influence the taste and aroma of beer.

🍺 Explore the science of malting and brewing, take virtual tours of iconic Belgian breweries and learn from experts with our free online edX course!
📅 New run starts Nov 16 – perfect for students, professionals, or anyone passionate about brewing science.
🔗 Enroll now: www.edx.org/learn/beer/k...

Huge congratulations to our colleague @arnauvich.bsky.social for presenting his research on FODMAP restriction and gut microbiota in IBS patients at United European Gastroenterology Week 2025 in Berlin🇩🇪👏! #UEGWeek @myueg.bsky.social @vibmicrobes.bsky.social

Another great day at #UEGWeek 2025! 🎉Congratulations to our colleague Jorge Vazquez Castellanos for presenting his exciting work on microbial dysbiosis, inflammation, and the gut–brain axis in IBS at the United European Gastroenterology Week in Berlin🇩🇪 @myueg.bsky.social @vibmicrobes.bsky.social

🎉 Congratulations to Joost and Laura on being awarded a @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social PhD fellowship!

✨ We wish them both a successful and inspiring PhD journey!

🔬 @verstrepenlab.bsky.social,
@masscheleinlab.bsky.social, @viblifesciences.bsky.social, @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social, UGhent

🌍 Celebrating #InternationalMicroorganismDay with a spotlight on BIOPET 🐾🌱 — part of @viblifesciences.bsky.social Grand Challenges program.
🔬 Great to see the labs of @verstrepenlab.bsky.social and Sibylle Vonesch explore Yarrowia yeast to help create more sustainable pet food!
🔗 lnkd.in/g_qbUXbR

🥳 Congrats to Hans Gerstmans (@masscheleinlab, @viblifesciences, @kuleuvenuniversity) on receiving the EQT Foundation 2025 Women’s Health Grant to develop a bacterial biosensor targeting BRCA1/2 breast cancer!
🔗 eqtgroup.com/news/eqt-foundation-announces-2025-womens-health-grant-recipients

α-Ketoglutaric acid as a promising platform chemical for sustainable bio-based industries The chemical industry is gradually shifting from fossil-derived resources to more sustainable bio-based processes. Natural bio-molecules such as succinic, lactic, and itaconic acid are promising platf...

Proud to share our comprehensive literature review on application potential, chemical synthesis and microbial production of α-ketoglutaric acid @chemsocrev.rsc.org

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

Probiotic-mediated modulation of gut microbiome in students exposed to academic stress: a randomized controlled trial - npj Biofilms and Microbiomes npj Biofilms and Microbiomes - Probiotic-mediated modulation of gut microbiome in students exposed to academic stress: a randomized controlled trial

Exams = stress. 📚 Our new study shows that a probiotic strain (L. rhamnosus CNCM I-3690) modulated the gut microbiome during academic stress, with ties to lower anxiety.

🔗 Vázquez-Castellanos et al. doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Laboratoriumtechnoloog – Microbiologie/Biotechnologie Laboratoriumtechnoloog Microbiologie

Interested in improving microbes for sustainable food and biofuel production? Or keen on studying evolution and gene regulation using yeast?

🚨 We are seeking two enthusiastic lab technicians to join our dynamic, international team!
More info & to apply, here 👇
www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...

Calling all #Microbes25 enthusiasts, it’s time to show off your finest science. Do not leave it trapped in your lab. Submit your abstract by September 4 & have a chance to win the Nature Microbiology Poster Prize: vibbio.tech/3UQkrkN.

@natmicrobiol.nature.com

#MicrobialBiotech #MicrobialEcology

Want to attend #Microbes25, but travel costs are holding you back? Our travel grants are here to help, but the deadline is today.

🧳Join your colleagues by applying before it’s too late and attend without the financial stress: vibbio.tech/46z4Tco

#MicrobialBiotech #microbes #MicrobialEcology

🎉 Congratulations to Luca Tiraboschi on being awarded an @embo.org scientific exchange grant, joining the group of Sibylle Vonesch to collaborate on developing novel gene editing techniques! (@kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social, @viblifesciences.bsky.social)

Want to join us at #Microbes25, but worried about travel costs? We’ve got you covered.
Next week is your last chance to apply for a travel grant. Don’t let this opportunity slip away.
🛬Final boarding call for a front row seat, apply here: vibbio.tech/40Rno8b #MicrobialBiotech #microbes #VIBConf

Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for co-production of ethanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol from sugarcane molasses 3-Methyl-1-butanol (3MB) is a promising renewable solvent, drop-in fuel, and precursor for various industrial products, including flavors, fragrances, and surfactants. Due to the myriad of intertwined...

🚀📄 Our lab is making the most of summer—another paper published! In this one, Sasha and the team managed to valorize a byproduct stream in bioethanol fermentation, laying the groundwork toward sustainable, high-value bioproduction.
Read all about it here👇: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Postdoctoral position in human gut microbiome and bioinformatics - VIB About the Lab Thelab of JeroenRaes(VIB, KU Leuven) is home to a vibrant, dynamic and international group of researchers in the field of gut microbial ecology and its

We're hiring a postdoc!🚨

Study human-associated microbial communities in health & disease.

🔬Requirements:
- PhD in bioinformatics, microbiology, or related field
- Expertise in omics data analysis
- Micro & molecular bio techniques are a plus!

Apply now!🌟
jobs.vib.be/j/119682/pos...

🚨 We're hiring at the Vonesch lab!
Excited about CRISPR technology development, HT genetic screens, and exploring fundamental questions in genetics? Apply here!

🔬 Postdoctoral Researcher
jobs.vib.be/j/117184/pos...
🧪 Research Technician
jobs.vib.be/j/117186/res...

Metabolic engineering and adaptive laboratory evolution of Kluyveromyces Marxianus for lactic acid production - Microbial Cell Factories Background Poly lactic acid (PLA) is one of the most promising bioplastics due to its interesting mechanical and physical properties, low carbon footprint, and biodegradability. PLA is produced from l...

📃🥳 Excited to share our new paper! Jolien and colleagues highlight the power of combining biodiversity with precision metabolic engineering for sustainable microbial bioproduction.
Read all about it 👇: microbialcellfactories.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
#Kluyveromyces #LacticAcid #Bioplastics

Dietary convergence induces individual responses in faecal microbiome composition Background Dietary variation has been identified as a key contributor to microbiome diversification. However, assessing its true impact in a cross-sectional setting is complicated by biological confou...

📄 New collaborative publication:

"Dietary convergence induces individual responses in faecal microbiome composition"
Astrid Vermeulen et al., now in eGastroenterology.
🔗 egastroenterology.bmj.com/content/3/2/...
1/5🧵

🎉 Proud to announce that Doris van Bergeijk, postdoctoral researcher at @raeslab.org ( @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social, @viblifesciences.bsky.social), has been awarded a Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship by @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social, to study how the gut microbiome can shape our mental health. 🧠🦠

💩🦠 Happy to present our paper on the engraftment of the enteric #virome in #UC patients receiving an #FMT-> temporal (~5 weeks) virome shift towards the healthy donor, primarily driven by #microviruses. @daanjansen.bsky.social @raeslab.org
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40371968/

Beyond CEN.PK - parallel engineering of selected S. cerevisiae strains reveals that superior chassis strains require different engineering approaches for limonene production Genetically engineered microbes are increasingly utilized to produce a broad range of high-value compounds. However, most studies start with only a ve…

📃🥳 Proud to share the latest research from our lab! Yanmei and colleagues used high-throughput screening and parallel metabolic engineering to optimize S. cerevisiae chassis strains for the production of limonene 🍋. You can read all about it here 👇: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Excited to welcome our new Agilent Revident Q-TOF! We’re developing new approaches combining mass spectrometry and enzyme assays to study microbial interactions and carbon sequestration. We're hiring postdocs — reach out if interested!

pontrellilab.sites.vib.be/en

PhD in molecular microbiology Jan Michiels is looking for a dynamic and highly motivated PhD student to develop a project aimed at unraveling mutational robustness and evolvability in bacteria.

We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD student to join our team! Info here www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...

Proud to share our latest work on constraint-based modeling in combination with Optknock to identify gene that improve C12 fatty acid production in E. coli

rdcu.be/eljsg

Want to learn more about Joleen's research? Listen to @viblifesciences.bsky.social's new podcast, Called to Science, where she talks about hunting microbes, being proactive, and the thrill of discovery. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Youtube! 🎧

🥳 Huge congratulations to Prof. Joleen Masschelein (@masscheleinlab.bsky.social, @viblifesciences.bsky.social, @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social) for being awarded the 2025 EFMC Academia Prize!

🦠 Microbes are everywhere and changing the world. The 3rd edition of #Microbes25 is here for it. From the lab to real-world impact, don’t miss the opportunity to explore the latest in #microbiology. Join us in Leuven, Nov 6-7, 2025, vibbio.tech/4lGy968
#MicrobialBiotech #microbes #MicrobialEcology

PhD Position in AI in Microbiology - VIB About the labThe lab of Jeroen Raes (VIB, KU Leuven) is home to a vibrant, dynamic and international group of researchers in the field of gut microbial ecology and its clinical applications. In additi...

🚨PhD position in AI in Microbiology!

We’re looking for a PhD researcher passionate about developing automated systems for microbiological research.

🌍 More info & apply:
jobs.vib.be/j/109363/phd...
@vibmicrobes.bsky.social @vibai.bsky.social

Pontrelli lab Welcome to the lab of microbial metabolic and environmental interactions. We study how microbes capture carbon dioxide and sequester it in the ocean.

🎉 Huge congratulations to @sammy-pontrelli.bsky.social for obtaining a prestigious FWO Odysseus grant! 🎉

Sammy's research will investigate how microbes make "mistakes" to create accidental, long-lived molecules from carbon dioxide! Find out more here:
pontrellilab.sites.vib.be/en

home.vib.be#/news/feed/m...
pers.vlaamsbrabant.be/provincie-ze...