Charissa de Bekker

Dr. Charissa de Bekker is an Associate Professor at Utrecht University's Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, specializing in Molecular Microbiology. Her research focuses on fungal manipulation of ant behavior, particularly the 'zombie ant' phenomenon caused by Ophiocordyceps fungi. She employs an integrative approach combining multi-omics, molecular microbiology, and chronobiology to study host-parasite interactions.

Education: Ph.D. in Biology (2011), Utrecht University; M.Sc./B.Sc. in Biology (2006), Utrecht University.

Research interests include microbial ecology, pathogenic fungi, and chronobiology. Key projects explore how Ophiocordyceps fungi hijack ant behavior through neuromodulators and metabolic pathways, with applications in sustainable pest control and human mycoses treatment.

• Awards: ERC Consolidator Award (2023), NSF CAREER Award (2020), Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (2015).
• Grants: Extensive funding for projects on fungal behavior manipulation and chronobiology.
• Labs: Leads a lab studying Ophiocordyceps-ant systems, focusing on transcriptomics, metabolomics, and field surveys.