We are delighted to announce our 2024 invited speakers
Ivan Baines
Catherine Blanc
Sarah Bonte
Claudia Dumrese
Marjolijn Hameetman
Ian Hancox
Philip Hobson
Saskia Lippens
Erik Mul
Peter O'Toole
Claudia Peitzsch
Andreas Spittler
Daniel Vocelle
We are delighted to announce our 2024 invited speakers
Over the course of a career spanning >30 years working in some of the world’s leading life sciences research institutes, Dr. Baines’s specialty is to design, implement and optimize scientific infrastructure and operations to fulfil the maximal potential of the available resources for performing top level research. He has either been fully responsible for all aspects of the design and implementation of the institute including construction of the building (Max Planck Florida Institute, Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute), or part of the founding team (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden; Center for Systems Biology Dresden; Physics of Life Cluster of Excellence, Dresden) or guided the process as a consultant (GIGA, Liège; BIOZ/BIOTEC Dresden; BioCity Leipzig; SWC, London) for the establishment of 9 research institutes. From a lifetime of performing, managing, mentoring, leading and strategizing research, Dr. Baines has a unique ability to inspire, design, and create research initiatives that make a difference with skills that bridge science and support with an unusual depth of understanding and accomplishment in each. Dr. Baines is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the Max Planck Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter, FL, an institute he guided the establishment from 2009-2013. Dr. Baines was previously the Chief Operating Officer of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, and earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry and doctorate degree in cell biology from University College London.
Catherine Blanc is the President of the French Association of Cytometry (Association Française de Cytométrie-AFC) since 2018. Catherine is a research engineer at Sorbonne University, based in Paris. She manages the CyPS Cytometry Platform at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital which offers mass cytometry and image-based mass cytometry technology. She oversees all AFC working groups and events. She is also actively involved in international relations, particularly with the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC). Her work focuses on advancing cytometry techniques and fostering collaboration within the scientific community .
Sarah Bonte received her PhD in Health Sciences from Ghent University in Belgium in 2021. During her PhD she worked on T cell immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. She is now working as a postdoc in the Saeys lab of the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research where she develops and uses computational tools for analysis of clinical cytometry data. In addition, she is associated with Ghent University Hospital and involved in the EuroFlow consortium.
Claudia is Director of the Cytometry Facility at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. She studied Biology at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen between 1994 – 2000, PhD in Cell Biology Host Pathogen Interactions at the University of Zurich between 2000 – 2005, became a Research Associate in Light Microscopy at the Microscopy Center, University of Zurich between 2005 – 2011 and is currently a Flow Cytometry Enthusiast since 2011.
She has also setup Flow Core Facilies within 5 labs at the University of Zurich.
Marjolijn works at the Flow cytometry Core Facility (FCF) of the Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands. The FCF serves over 800 users of which 450 are regular users by offering 24 high performing instruments, training, advice and experimental support. In doing so, the FCF delivers state-of-the-art flow cytometry, mass cytometry and cell sorting services.
She joined the FCF in 2017. As operational manager, Marjolijn is at the helm of the day-to-day processes at the FCF, manages her team of six operators. They try to continuously improve processes, aiming for the highest quality possible. Together with her team she accomplished getting awarded the ISAC SRL recognition in 2023.
Marjolijn is a co-organizer of the Dutch Flow Group meeting and is happy to be more involved in the cytometry community to help other core facilities with their challenges.
Ian oversees the core facilities (Research Technology Platforms) at the University of Warwick, 14 facilities spanning a range of disciplines, as well as the strategy around supporting technical staff across the institution. He has implemented the Technical Specialist Promotional Pathway, which saw 14 staff promoted in 2023/24. Alongside this, Ian is involved in a range of regional and national projects funded by UKRI with a focus on technical staff.
Phil Hobson is the Deputy Manager of the Flow Cytometry Science Technology Platform at the Francis Crick Institute, London. Following a PhD in Immunology and post doctoral positions at both Imperial College London and Kings College London, he joined the flow facility at the National Institute of Medical Research during the merger to form the Francis Crick Institute. Within the Crick he has developed interests in high containment sorting and health and safety. Due to his responsibilities with the mass cytometry suite, he is interested in high dimensional data analysis of both flow cytometry and imaging data sets.
Saskia Lippens holds a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Ghent University. With over a decade in fundamental Life Sciences research at Ghent University and the University of Lausanne, she switched gears in 2012 when she joined the endeavor to launch VIB's BioImaging Core. Initially, her primary focus revolved around the implementation of volume EM and the development of correlative light and electron microscopy workflows, catering to diverse research domains within the Life Sciences.
In 2017, Saskia took on the role of Head of the Bioimaging Core, where she expanded its capabilities and services. In 2023, she assumed the position of Deputy Technology Director at the core facilities program that is branded as VIB Technologies, and works together with the VIB Technology Director and a team of over 100 tech professionals dedicated to advancing life science research through cutting-edge technology.
Saskia's passions are deeply rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration and the creation of frameworks to attract, nurture, and cultivate the talent needed to drive future life science technologies.
Erik works at the Cell analysis Research Facility (CRF) at Sanquin Research Centre in the Netherlands. The CRF serves over 120 users of which 80 are regular by offering 11 high performing instruments, training, advice and experimental support. In addition to a flow cytometry facility, we also manage an imaging facility with multiple high-end imaging equipment to give people multiple options to analyse cells
Erik joined the CRF in 2003 as a Core facility manager, he works in day-to-day processing at the CRF, managing a team of 4 employee.
Erik is a co-organizer of the Dutch Flow Group meeting and is happy to be more involved in the cytometry community to help other core facilities with their challenges.
Peter heads the Imaging and Cytometry Labs within the Technology Facility at the University of York which includes an array of confocal microscopes, flow cytometers and electron microscopes. Peter gained his PhD in the Cell Biophysics Laboratory at the University of Essex and has been involved in many aspects of fluorescence imaging. Research is currently focused on both technology and method development of novel probes and imaging modalities.
Peter has ongoing collaborations with many leading microscopy and cytometry companies and his group also provides research support to many academics and commercial organisations. Peter is also heavily involved with teaching microscopy and flow cytometry which includes organising and teaching on both the RMS Light Microscopy Summer School and the RMS Practical Flow Cytometry courses.
Claudia is heading the Mass Cytometry Core Facility at the Dresden University of Technology, Germany. She gained her PhD in molecular oncology at the Medical Faculty, University Duisburg-Essen, Germany. After two postdoctoral positions in hematopoiesis (Lund Stem Cell Center, Sweden), and radiobiology (OncoRay and National Center of Tumor Diseases, Dresden), she joined the Mass Cytometry Core Facility in 2021.
Andreas Spittler studied human medicine at the Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster and at the Medical University of Vienna. He began his research career in 1991 at the Department of Pathophysiology at the Medical University of Vienna and was appointed Associate Scientist at the Surgical Research Laboratories in 1998. There he investigated the immune regulation of monocytes under cell culture conditions and in studies with surgical/septic patients under the influence of amino acids. In 2001, Andreas Spittler habilitated in the field of pathophysiology. He has headed the Core Facility Flow Cytometry since 2006. Andreas Spittler is President of the Austrian Society for Cytometry and was co-founder of the Austrian Society for Extracellular Vesicles in 2016, which he led for five years. His main scientific interest over the last decade has been extracellular vesicles, in particular the measurement and characterization of these particles using flow cytometry and imaging flow cytometry. Further research interests include the characterization of the neonatal immune system and the functional characterization of monocytes in inflammation and sepsis.
