Jelmer Sjollema

Jelmer Sjollema is an Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), affiliated with the Faculty of Medical Sciences. He holds additional roles including Director of the Master Programme Biomedical Engineering (Faculty of Science and Engineering), Associate Editor of Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, and Member of the Medical Ethics Review Committee (METC) at UMCG. His research focuses on developing and validating imaging technologies to study Biomaterial Associated Infections, with expertise in bio-optical imaging, bacterial adhesion, and biofilm dynamics.

Education: Holds a PhD in Physics with a focus on imaging and modeling of bacterial deposition. Prior industry experience in consultancy and management before returning to academia in 2009.

Research Interests: Biomaterials, bacterial adhesion mechanisms, biofilm formation, colloid and interface science, and antimicrobial surface design. His work bridges physics, microbiology, and biomedical engineering to combat medical device-related infections.

Grants & Collaborations: Involved in projects like the NANTICO initiative for antimicrobial biomaterial coatings. Supervises research on biofilm inhibition via nanomaterials and surface engineering. Active in interdisciplinary collaborations addressing medical device infection prevention.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Bio-optical Imaging Center Groningen and contributes to the Man, Biomaterials and Microbes (MBM) research group. His lab develops advanced imaging techniques for in vivo monitoring of biomaterial-associated infections.