Our experts

Our comprehensive team brings together experts in the field of microbiology, microbiome data generation, bioinformatics, biostatistics, and clinical microbiome research. We are supported by the Experimental Bacteriology and Microbiome Systems Biology groups within the internationally recognized Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases (LUCID). Moreover, we closely collaborate with the Netherlands Donor Feces Bank (NDFB) and serve as shared facility of the Leiden Bio Science Park.

The facility is led by Wiep Klaas Smits and Georg Zeller, who have a combined experience of 35 years in the microbiome and microbiology fields, with prior associations at MIT, EMBL and University of Groningen. Their individual research groups focus on molecular and translational research on Clostridioides difficile and other drug-resistant microorganisms, and computational research into the microbe-host interactions in the human gut microbiome, respectively. Furthermore, the facility and its research projects are coordinated by Jannie Henderickx, who has a background in nutrition and microbiology. CMAT also benefits from the guidance of pioneering microbiome expert Ed Kuijper, who serves as Senior Advisor. Ed is an Emeritus professor of Experimental Microbiology at LUMC and former director of the National Reference Laboratory for Clostridioides difficile at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). 

Our multidisciplinary team—experts in microbiome research, medical microbiologists, dedicated technicians, and specialized bioinformaticians—forms a cohesive and highly skilled team well positioned to advance complex microbiome research projects.

Learn more about them below.