The Blue Growth Research Lab is headed by Prof. Jana Asselman with support of Dr. Eveline Diopere and emeritus Prof. Colin Janssen. All PhD students are supervised in collaboration with other research groups to ensure that they can work in a highly multidisciplinary research environment and have access to a wide network of senior research expertise.
Jana Asselman
Director
Prof. Dr. eng. Jana Asselman is the director of the Blue Growth Research Lab. She is a tenured associate professor at the UGent campus at Ostend Science Park, where she coordinates the multidisciplinary Marine@UGent research facilities and is the chair of the Marine@UGent consortium. Read the full profile of Prof. Jana Asselman
Eveline Diopere
Vice Director
Dr. Eveline is the vice-director of the Blue Growth Research lab. At the UGent campus at Ostend Science Park, she coordinates the saltwater wave flume and is a steering committee member of the Marine@UGent consortium.
Colin Janssen
Senior advisor
Prof. Dr. Janssen is an emeritus professor of Ecotoxicology and Applied Marine Ecology. He is part of the steering committee of the Marine@UGent consortium and supports the lab in senior advisory role.
Junior Researchers
Sri Augustina
Phd student
Biodiscovery - Marine Fungi
Dwi Febrianti
Phd student
Microplastics - zooplankton
Dries Lorre
Phd student
Ecosystem services - Sustainable use
Gladys Mwaka
Phd student (co-advisor)
Seaweed & Bioactives
Charlie Roland
Junior Researcher
EMBRC - PARC
Ivan Carovano
Phd student (co-supervision)
Wave current interaction - Biofouling
Julia Kinet
Phd student
Sea spray aerosols - physical activity
Wenxin Liu
Phd student
Marine Toxins & Human Health
Naledi Mweka
Phd student
Oceans & Human Health
Sofia Setas
Phd student
Biodiscovery - Marine Biofilms
Friedel Dewulf
Phd student
Marine Toxines - Immunology
Silke Lambert
Phd student
Sea spray aerosols - Exposome
Guillaume Marec
Phd student (co-supervision)
Biodiscovery - Marine Microalgae
Robbe Paepen
Phd student (co-supervision)
Marine pollution - Diatoms
Selamawit Gebremedhin Tekle
Phd student
Microplastics Pollution - Human Health
Ting Zang
Phd student
Microplastics & Human Health
Supporting Staff
Vicky Pauwelyn
Core Facility Coordinator
Senior lab & project management, jointly supporting BGRL & Marine@UGent Core Facility
Nancy De Saeyer
Senior Lab Technician
Senior analytical expertise (LC-MS), jointly supporting AECO, BGRL, GhenTox & LAMBIS
Tineke Vanhalewyn
Senior Lab Technician
Expertise in molecular biology, in vitro studies, LC-MS, biochemistry
Jolien Depecker
Senior Lab Manager
General lab support & administrative support, jointly supporting BGRL, Ghentox & LAMBIS
Dirk Hoet
Senior project manager
Supporting BGRL, COB & Ensy in project management, project communication & procurement
Emmy Pequeur
Senior Lab Manager
Senior lab support & administrative mangement, FTIR & microplastics expertise, jointly supporting BGRL, Ghentox & LAMBIS
Joint PhD students at other institutions
Juliette Grandjean
Phd student
VLIZ - UGent: Microplastics & multiple stressors
Sara Olyslaegers
Phd student
UAntwerp: Seaweed & Microbiome Engineering
Rahaf Ishkokani
Phd student
KU Leuven: Dinoflagellate cysts
Albano Pinto
Phd student
UAVR: Neurotoxic effects of cyanotoxins
Mathilde Falcou Préfol
Phd student
UAntwerp: Nanoplastics - Hazard Assessment
Laura Van Peteghem
Phd student
VLIZ-UGent: Seaspray - Bacteria - Immune effects
Lab Alumni & PhD Graduates
- Dr. Iene Herman, (PhD 2026, UGent): Integrating fatty acid dynamics, epigenetic regulation and environmental drivers in the intertidal copepod: Platychelipus littoralis (Harpacticoida, Laophontidae)
- Dr. Zixia Liu, (PhD 2026, UGent): From Phytoplankton to Bioactivity: Sea Spray Aerosols as a Mechanistic Link Between Ocean Ecology and Human Health.
- Dr. Jenevieve Hara (PhD, 2026, UAntwerp – UGent, co-supervision): Elucidating the Biological Reactivity of (Aged) Micro- and Nanoplastic Particles in Marine Invertebrates: From Cellular to Organismal Responses
- Dr. Lotte Janssens (PhD, 2026, UGent, co-supervision): Responses of calanoid and harpacticoid copepods to rising temperatures: a multigenerational perspective
- Dr. Marie Sioen (PhD, 2025, UGent – UAntwerp): An Ecotoxicological Approach Towards the Understanding of the Impacts of Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Marine Environment.
- Dr. Yunmeng Li (PhD, 2025, UGent – UAntwerp -VLIZ): Marine bacteria in sea spray aerosols and their potential immunological effects on human health.
- Dr. Zhiyue Niu (PhD, 2024, UGent – VLIZ): Combined impacts of plastic pollution, from bio-based and petroleum-based polymers, and global warming on the population dynamics of key organisms of coastal and marine ecosystems.
- Dr. Miao Peng (PhD, 2024, UGent): The influence of micro- and nanoplastics on human health: Exploring environmentally relevant scenarios with in vitro human cell lines.
- Dr. Guilherme Jeremias (PhD , 2024, UAVR, co-supervision): Developing epigenetic biomarkers of metal exposure in Daphnia.
- Dr. João Barbosa (PhD, 2023, UGent): Risk assessment of munition dumpsite contamination : understanding the threats to marine ecosystems and human health.
- Dr. Ilias Semmouri (PhD, 2022, UGent): Temporal effects of chemical and physical stressors on marine zooplankton : a molecular approach.