Joleen Masschelein

Joleen Masschelein serves as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Biology within the Faculty of Sciences at KU Leuven. She leads the Molecular Biotechnology of Plants and Microorganisms research unit located at Castle Park Arenberg 31 in Leuven and maintains active affiliations with the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Leuven One Health Institute, and the KU Leuven Plant Institute.

Her research focuses on molecular biotechnology with emphasis on:

• Specialized metabolite biosynthesis and discovery
• Polyketide antibiotics and natural products
• Microbial genomics and bioinformatics
• Plant-microbe interactions
• Antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and solutions

Dr. Masschelein's recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward computational biology approaches applied to natural product discovery, with significant contributions to gene cluster analysis tools like antiSMASH and CAGEcleaner. Her work spans fundamental research on biosynthetic mechanisms for compounds like oximidines and bacteriocins while developing practical applications for antimicrobial development and agricultural biotechnology.

Her scientific contributions include:

• Development of computational tools for gene cluster mining
• Elucidation of novel biosynthetic pathways for antibiotics
• Discovery of new antimicrobial compounds from bacterial sources
• Investigations into plant-microbe interactions for agricultural applications

Dr. Masschelein actively supervises numerous research projects through 2030 as both promotor and co-promotor, teaching advanced courses including Molecular Cell Biology, Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, Chemical Biology, Omics Techniques and Data Analysis, and Bioinformatics and Genome Technology. She serves on academic committees including the Faculty Council of Sciences, POC Biochemistry and Biotechnology, and Departmental Council of Biology.