Joep is a Research Technician at the Amsterdam Medical Centre (Amsterdam UMC). He completed a BSc degree in Natural and Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), specialising in patient-oriented biomedical research. After this, Joep proceeded with a MSc degree in Biomedical Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) with specialisations in infectious diseases and immunology. During the programme, he wrote his thesis about the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids in a defined minimal microbiome and their implications in modulation of the host immune response. Additionally, Joep executed a research project investigating expression patterns and protein localisation under hypoxic conditions in adherent and spheroid non-small cell lung cancer cultures at the Fundación Investigación Hospital General Universitario de Valencia (FIHGUV).