Edith Houben

Edith Houben is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, with a dual appointment in the Molecular Microbiology department and AIMMS. She holds a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2000) and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Basel (2004–2007). Her work focuses on mycobacterial type VII secretion systems, particularly ESX-1 and ESX-5 systems, and their roles in pathogenesis and protein secretion mechanisms.

Key research interests include protein secretion in pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis, structural biology of secretion systems, and the molecular basis of bacterial virulence. Her grants include NWO Veni (2007), VIDI (2013), and ASPASIA (2018) awards, supporting studies on mycobacterial transport systems and secretory pathways.

She teaches courses on infectious diseases and microbiology, including 'Infectieziekten: Gastheer-Pathogeen Interacties' and 'Molecular Microbiology.' Her research has contributed to understanding outer membrane transport, substrate specificity, and secretion system dynamics, with high-impact publications in Nature, mBio, and Annual Review of Microbiology.

• Awards:
• Veni-grant (NWO-ALW, 2007)
• VIDI-grant (NWO-ALW, 2013)
• ASPASIA grant (NWO, 2018)
• Febs Fellowship (Switzerland, 2004)

Her work aligns with UN SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) through research targeting infectious diseases and tuberculosis pathogenesis.