Sandip Ghuge completed his Master's degree in Biotechnology at Marathwada Agriculture University in India. He pursued his Ph.D. in the lab of Alessandra Cona at Roma Tre University in Italy, focusing on Plant Amine oxidase in development and stress responses. He was awarded with Doctorate degree in Biology, specializing in Molecular and Cellular Sciences. Currently, Sandip is a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow in the Oxidative Stress Signalling group led by Frank Van Breusegem. His research revolves around understanding the role of selenoproteins in stress resilience in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Arabidopsis thaliana. Additionally, he is involved in the development of more sensitive variants of genetically encoded biosensors, particularly roGFP2, aiming to enhance the ability to monitor dynamic redox processes in living cells with higher resolution.

Postdoctoral researcher

My journey in plant sciences integrates plant adaptation to environmental stress, redox mechanisms, and epigenetics. Trained at the University of Perpignan Via Domitia and the University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier in France, I developed expertise in molecular biology and genetics, laying the foundation for my research career. In October 2019, I commenced my PhD under Dr. Jean-Philippe Reichheld's supervision at the Laboratory of Plant's Genome and Development in Perpignan, France. Our research revealed redox mechanisms' significance in plant adaptation to heat waves and their impact on chromatin regulators, including histone deacetylases HDA6 and HDA19. After defending my thesis successfully in May 2023, I began my first postdoc in Prof. Dr. Frank Van Breusegem's lab at VIB-Ugent Center for Plant System Biology in Ghent, Belgium. My initial project focused on uncovering redox-sensitive proteins in the nucleus using redox proteomics. In April 2024, I secured the prestigious MSCA postdoc fellowship to initiate my independent research within the same team. This project involves developing new tools like genetically encoded redox proteomics probes and biosensors to investigate the role of redox regulation in stress granule formation during heat stress.

Lab manager

Robin Pottie graduated in 2017 as Bachelor in Biomedical Laboratory Technology at Odisee Technologycampus Gent. During his bachelor, he worked on a project for Dr. Simon Stael developing genetic and chemical tools to alter the calcium flux in chloroplasts. Afterwards he joined the Van Breusegem lab as a technician and later as lab manager. His main objectives are the support of the lab in general logistics, knowledge transfer, high throughput screens and proof of concept experiments.

Expertise: ROS metabolism and oxidative stress signalling

Amna Mhamdi obtained her Master's degree in Plant Physiology and Biotechnology from Tunis El Manar University (Tunisia) in 2006. In 2007, she started her PhD in the group of Graham Noctor at the Université de Paris Sud (France), studying the role of enzymes involved in glutathione and NADPH reduction in oxidative stress signalling. After obtaining her PhD in 2010, she stayed in the same laboratory and continued as a postdoctoral researcher. From 2016, she joined the oxidative stress signalling group led by Frank Van Breusegem at PSB (Belgium) to study the photorespiratory hydrogen peroxide signalling mechanisms and cysteine oxidation events that occur during plant responses to stress. Since 2023, Amna has been working as a Staff Scientist at VIB-Belgium, Frank Van Breusegem group, with a special focus on understanding the role of redox regulation of transcription complexes and translating key findings observed in Arabidopsis to crop plants. To address research questions in the field of redox and oxidative signalling, Amna is using an integrative approach involving genetics and transcriptomic, proteomic as well as metabolomic profiling.

Jawad has obtained his Master degree in Biotechnology from National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE) PIEAS, Pakistan. He did his masters thesis at Microbial Ecology Lab under the supervision of Dr. Asma Imran, where he studied the molecular and genetic mechanisms of drought tolerance in bacteria to utilize their plant beneficial traits during plant-microbe interaction. In July 2022, he started his PhD research in the Oxidative Stress Signaling group of Prof. Dr. Frank Van Breusegem in the VIB-UGent Center for Plant System Biology. He is studying oxidative post-translational cysteine modifications using protein-based thiol traps.

Frank Van Breusegem obtained his Bachelor and Master degree at Ghent University. He is a group leader of the Oxidative Stress Signaling group at the VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology (since 2001); full professor at Ghent University and he recently was elected vice-chair of the Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics (Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University). Since his early studies under the supervision of em. Prof. Marc Van Montagu, he focuses on the molecular impact of oxidative stress on plant cells. He obtained his PhD from Ghent University (1997) with work on “Engineering Stress Tolerance in Maize”. Nowadays, the primary objective of the Van Breusegem lab is the identification and functional analysis of regulatory gene and protein networks involved in the oxidative stress response in plants. Ultimately, he aims to translate this knowledge into biotechnological crop efficiency concepts. The lab has played a pioneering role in determining H₂O₂-dependent molecular and physiological responses in plants. The Van Breusegem lab is internationally recognized mainly because of its successful multi-omics driven approaches that allowed to identify several key targets in the oxidative stress response. Frank Van Breusegem has published more than 150 peer-reviewed publications (Clarivate h-index=59), is a frequent invited speaker and is monitoring editor of the leading plant journal “Plant Physiology”.

Predoctoral Fellow-Genome editing, cutting-edge technology for a sustainable agriculture

I am a new plant mamma. In 2016, I graduated from Bangladesh Agricultural University with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. Then I have completed my Master’s degree in Crop Botany from same the same university in 2018. Following that, in 2020, I have joined as a faculty member in the department of Crop Botany at Khulna Agricultural University, Bangladesh. I started working in the lab of Prof. Dr. Frank Van Breusegem at the VIB-Ugent Center for Plant System Biology in Ghent in January 2025 as a predoctoral fellow. For grass peas with a reduced toxin level and a better potential yield, I will concentrate on genome editing. We will attempt to revel out the correlation of ODAP in tolerance to stress in Grass Pea.

Mingjian Zhou obtained his bachelor degree in bioengineering at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology in China. He begins a continuous academic project that involves postgraduate and doctoral study on Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Nanjing agricultural University from September 2020. He focused on the redox-based regulation of hydrogen sulfide and persulfidation and mechanisms of osmotic and drought tolerance in plants. He joined oxidative stress signaling research group of Professor Frank since November 2022 as a joined Ph.D. student and based the topic of “Thiol-Based Protection Mechanisms In Plant Stress Responses: From S-Sulfenylation To Persulfidation”.

PhD fellow

Simon Tack obtained his Bachelors in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Ghent (UGhent, Belgium).He stayed at UGhent to persue a Master in Molecular Plant Biology.During his Master-thesis he joined the VIB-UGhent 'Oxidative Stress Signaling' lab (led by Prof. Dr. F. Van Breusegem) where he focused on showing Metacaspase activity using FRET-based sensors under the guidance of Dr. A.D. Fernandez Fernandez and Prof. Dr. S. Stael. In November 2022 he joined the OSS lab as a PhD fellow and continues his efforts on showing protease activity in plants (Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana Benthamiana, Brassica napus) under the direct supervision of Prof. Dr. Van Breusegem. Since 2025 Simon is involved in the construction of protease-mutants in maize and part of a Collaborative Science Initiative (CSI) within the VIB. During his PhD, Simon has been very passionate about science communication involving plant biotechnology, resulting a.o. in collaborations with Technopolis (2024) and DocVille (ongoing), talks in high schools and on ‘National Science day’ and the organization of a National PhD symposium.

Simon Tack behaalde zijn Bachelor in Biochemie en biotechnologie aan de UGent en bleef voor een Master in Moleculaire Planten Biotechnologie. In het VIB-UGhent 'Oxidative Stress Signaling' lab (OSS, onder leiding van Prof. Dr. F. Van Breusegem) maakt hij zijn Master-thesis met een focus op het visualiseren van Metacaspase activiteit door gebruik te maken van FRET-based biosensoren. Dit werd gedaan onder toezicht van Dr. A.D. Fernandez Fernandez and Prof. Dr. S. Stael. In November 2022 begon Simon aan zijn doctoraat in het OSS labo waarbij hij zich verder verdiept in het visualiseren van protease activiteit in planten (Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicothiana benthamiana, Brassica napus) onder de supervisie van Prof. Dr. Van Breusegem. Sinds 2025 werkt Simon mee aan het aanmaken van protease-mutanten in Mais en maakt hij deel uit van een CSI consortium binnen het VIB. Simon is sinds het begin van zijn PhD gepassioneerd bezig geweest met Wetenschapscommunicatie omtrent planten biotechnologie en fluorescentie. Dit leidt o.a. tot samenwerkingen met Technopolis (2024) en DocVille (gaande), presentaties op middelbare scholen en rondleidingen op de Dag Van De Wetenschappen en tot het organiseren van een nationaal symposium van en voor jonge PhD studenten.