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Microbiology @ SILS
Research Groups

Microbial Stress & Food Safety Group

We conduct fundamental and applied microbiology to understand stress physiology, antibiotic action and resistance emergence in key species and consortia.

What we do

We investigate microbial stress responses, antimicrobial resistance, spore biology and microbiome-related questions linked to health and food safety. Our research spans from understanding fundamental mechanisms of stress adaptation and spore formation to applied questions about antibiotic resistance, food safety, and microbial survival in various environments. We work with model organisms including E. coli, B. subtilis, and yeasts to uncover general principles of microbial physiology.

How we do it

Experimental approaches

We use molecular biology, quantitative physiology and model organisms (E. coli, B. subtilis, yeasts), in collaboration with partners across Amsterdam. Our experimental approaches combine classical microbiology with modern molecular techniques, including genomics, transcriptomics, and advanced imaging to study stress responses and adaptation at multiple scales.

Data-driven analysis

Our computational approaches involve Molecular Dynamics analyses of spore germinant sensing receptors which are led by Dr. Jocelyne Vreede from HIMS. Genomics analyses are run together with the Biosystems Data Analysis department @ SILS.

Team

Selected publications

  • de Koster CG, Lin X, Li YQ, Brul S, de Koning LJ, Setlow P. . A mathematical kinetic model of memory in Bacillus subtilis spore germination. iScience.. iScience (2026).Link

  • van Leeuwen PT, Gadaleta P, Brul S, Seppen J, Wortel MT.. Environmentally mediated interactions predict community assembly and invasion success in a gut microbiota synthetic community.. mSystems (2026).Link

  • Vera Korenblik, Thomaz F. S. Bastiaanssen, Irina M. de Haas, Henrike Galenkamp, Max Nieuwdorp, Claudi L. H. Bockting, Aniko Korosi, Stanley Brul & Anja Lok . Relationship between fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and microbial SCFA pathways with depressive symptoms in Dutch adults. Translational Psychiatry (2026).Link