PhD candidate
Understanding the impact of the microbiome and its host interactions has been a central theme in her studies at Wageningen University and continues to be so during her PhD project. She did a double MSc in Plant Biotechnology and Nutrition and Health. Both her MSc thesis as well as her internship at Delphy were research projects focusing on the microbiome. During one thesis she looked at the variability in gut health markers to asses gut microbiome functions. In the second thesis, she looked at the evolutionary impact of the rhizosphere during drought stress. Both thesis’s are part of published papers and results she obtained during her internship on the soil microbiome dynamics in a disease suppressive soil will be published later this year.
Her interest specifically in the interplay between stress resilience in crops and their microbiome has grown over the years. As of January 2025, Nicky is a PhD candidate at the laboratory of Plant Physiology and the Bioinformatics group under the supervision of Dr. Rumyana Karlova and Dr. Justin van der Hooft at Wageningen University. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms behind the root microbiome recruitment under drought stress in Solanaceae, with the use of omics techniques. By exploring plant-microbiome interactions, she aims to contribute to their implementation in future agricultural practices.
Title PhD
Publications
Kruger, K., Myeonghyun, Y., van der Wielen, N., Kok, D. E., Hooiveld, G. J., Keshtkar, S., ... & van Trijp, M. P. (2024). Evaluation of inter-and intra-variability in gut health markers in healthy adults using an optimised faecal sampling and processing method. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 24580.
Embedded in the Bioinformatics Group of the Plant Sciences Group at WUR 