Research coordinator
dr. Michel Bengtson
Research
I am a research coordinator at LUCID-R. I provide pre- and post-award grant support for various international research projects funded by EU-horizon; ERC; EDCTP; NWO; Gates Foundation and NIH.
As a postdoctoral researcher, I have expertise in developing, evaluating and implementing diagnostic assays for infectious diseases for use within resource-limited settings. Trained as a molecular biologist, I have experience in validating diagnostic devices in research settings, as well as experience conducting field research in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2024, I coordinate activities within a data management team that is focused on building a data warehouse using FAIR-principles. Connected to the data management team, I work as a data curator. Other research activities include participation in a communications working group that is focused on knowledge dissemination and public outreach, and providing mentorship to women in science.
Curriculum Vitae
I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in cellular biology (2011) and a Master’s degree (2015) in biological sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. I then obtained a PhD (2020) at the Kavli Research Institute of Nanoscience (Bionanoscience Department, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology). Thereafter, I joined the Parasitology Department (LUMC), where I initially gained experience as a quality assessment associate. In this role, I was responsible for designing and implementing quality control experiments for an in vitro antigen detection assay that is specific for schistosomiasis. In parallel, I managed research projects within the Clinical Diagnostics Group, where I gained experience in operational management for clinical research. My roles included project management for a molecular diagnostics work-package within an EDCTP-funded phase II/III clinical trial for a novel anti-parasitic drug, and scientific coordination for a NWO-funded research project on developing and implementing Ai-driven digital diagnostics for parasitic diseases. Since 2024, I have transitioned into vaccine development and currently coordinate research activities within multiple projects across multiple research groups. This diversity has offered me the opportunity to support LUCID-R with streamlined processes at both pre- and post-grant stages.
Links:
Publications
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Participants of the Lorentz Center Workshop titled Connecting people to reverse vaccine hyporesponsiveness. Tackling vaccine hyporesponsiveness through global collaboration, diverse population studies, and data integration.
Amoah AS, Agnandji ST, Bengtson M, Downs JA, Esen M, [...] Murugan R, Mutai J, Nakaya HI, Nkurunungi G, Palmblad M, Pyuza JJ, Stam KA, de Steenhuijsen Piters WAA, Walusimbi B, Yazdanbakhsh M
Lancet Microbe. 2025 Nov 21:101263. doi: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2025.101263. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41285137.
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CRISPR-dCas9 based DNA detection scheme for diagnostics in resource-limited settings.
Bengtson M, Bharadwaj M, Franch O, van der Torre J, Meerdink V, Schallig H, Dekker C.
Nanoscale. 2022 Feb 3;14(5):1885-1895. doi: 10.1039/d1nr06557b. PMID: 35044397; PMCID: PMC8812997.
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Matching Development of Point-of-Care Diagnostic Tests to the Local Context: A Case Study of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Kenya and Uganda.
Bengtson M, Bharadwaj M, Bosch AT, Nyakundi H, Matoke-Muhia D, Dekker C, Diehl JC.
Glob Health Sci Pract. 2020 Sep 30;8(3):549-565. doi: 10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00028. PMID: 33008863; PMCID: PMC7541118.
