Projects
Adaptation of and research on the usability of the Impact TOS questionnaire on children and adolescents within a school context among children of low socioeconomic status and/or multilingual background HOGENT
Impact of local topology and local adaptation on network behaviour Ghent University
The research topics of this project are the use of biologically inspired principles in artificial neural networks, and the study of local and global network topologies. I develop a process for generating biologically plausible ANNs for complex temporal tasks. I start from state-of-the-art echo state networks.
Guided by Nature: enzyme tunnel evolution as a tool for functional adaptation Ghent University
Tailored-made biocatalysts that meet specific industrial or academic demands can be developed through enzyme engineering. By mutating one or several amino acids, the specificity or selectivity of enzymes can be altered to unlock novel and effective synthetic routes towards valuable compounds. Enzyme engineers typically target amino acids in the active site. But before reaching the active site, ligands first have to migrate through an access ...
Delegation to artificial delegates, a study of commitment and adaptation in resource sharing situations Ghent University
Artificial agents are designed to optimize individual objectives. Yet, when people commit to an agent and its implementation, it may impact the collective outcome of their social group. By means of game-theoretic models and behavioral experiments, we intend to answer whether using artificial delegates in such conflict-of-interest decisions will lead to better collective outcomes.
Developmental mechanisms of plasticity and their importance in adaptation to rapid environmental change KU Leuven
The importance of understanding how organisms adapt to new conditions is clear when we see extreme environmental situations arising more often due to climate change or other stressors. Developmental plasticity, which enables organisms to adjust their morphology, physiology, and behavior within a single generation, is particularly important in this process. Although the adaptive significance of such responses is generally understood, the ...
Discovering the role of the circadian clock morning components in plant latitudinal adaptation KU Leuven
The main aim of my project is to better understand the functional basis for latitudinal adaptation of plants, with a focus on the morning transcription factor complex (especially LHY and CCA1) in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. I will base myself on previous reserach on control of photoperiodism, my supervisor’s recent and novel results on the clock involvement in twilight measurement as well as clock genes identified as being involved ...
The secret garden: diatom adaptation and evolution in benthic environments Ghent University
We aim to identify and functionally characterize key adaptations that drive the extraordinary species diversity and ecological success of benthic diatoms. We will employ a multi-disciplinary approach to study the role of climate-sensitive abiotic stressors and diatom-bacteria interactions on life cycle dynamics in existing and newly developed model species, as well as in natural populations.
VIONAÂ A human capital roadmap for the Flemish Climate Adaptation Pl Antwerp Management School
Genomics of rapid adaptation KU Leuven
The importance of understanding how organisms adapt is apparent when we see the rapidly increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme anthropgenic environmental conditions. Developmental plasticity, which enables organisms to adjust their morphology, life-history, and behavior in response to environmental cues within a single generation, is particularly important in this process. Although the adaptive significance of such responses is ...