Ellen obtained her Master’s degree in Biology (2021) and her Master’s degree in Plant Biotechnology (2022), where she developed a strong interest in sustainable treatments for crop protection. Since 2022, she has been a PhD researcher in the lab of Prof. Els Van Damme, supported by an FWO fellowship. Her work focuses on the delivery of dsRNA into plant cells and tissues using nanocarriers. She studies how these carriers interact with plant systems, including their toxicity, uptake pathways, and gene-silencing efficiency, with the aim of improving RNA-based strategies for crop protection. In parallel, she works in the group of Prof. Kris Audenaert, where she investigates RNA delivery and RNAi efficacy directly in Phytophthora infestans. This includes studying uptake mechanisms in the pathogen itself and developing RNA-based approaches to suppress infection and disease development in potato.
