Team
Green Labs NL was founded in 2021 by members of the Dutch Scientific community with a passion for sustainability. The people that run Green Labs NL do this next to their own jobs. Scroll down to meet the team!
Florijn Dekkers
What inspires me most is the beauty of nature. I am a senior postdoc and part of the Green Labs Initiative at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology. Embedded in the DREAM3DLAB, my work focusses on developing advanced 3D imaging technologies to better understand and tackle the aggressive nature of cancer. Like many of us working in science, I feel a great urge to perform my work with a minimal impact on the environment and I am therefore excited to build a community that strives to create a world where science is green.
Gabriela Dankova
I work at Naturalis Biodiversity Center within a project applying genomic tools for biodiversity monitoring. I was always hugely in love with nature. That was one of the reasons why I decided to study biology and became a researcher. However, performing lab-based research comes with a lot of energy use and waste production, which can be detrimental to our natural world. Therefore, I feel a need to make my work more environmentally-friendly and I am very excited about the growing number of activities promoting more sustainable research, such as Green Labs NL. I believe that by working together we can really make a difference!
Marit de Kort
Hi there! My name is Marit and I am a policy officer at the Biomedical Master’s programmes at Utrecht University. In my private life I actively try to minimise my carbon footprint. This was in stark contrast to my lab work as a PhD student, where I created a lot of waste and used a lot of resources every day. I think it’s really important that we, scientists, take responsibility and collectively start working on the issue of sustainability in our labs. I’m excited to contribute by working with Green Labs NL towards more sustainable labs in the future.
Mandy Erkelens
Hello, my name is Mandy and I am a postdoc at the LUMC at the department of Human Genetics. The great diversity and beauty of all life forms motivates me to reduce my carbon footprint. Teaching first year’s students who were shocked about the amount of plastics (and they were right, of course!), made me think about our current habits in the lab. This stark contrast between my personal life and my work in the lab was a big inspiration to start a Green Team and make our research practices more sustainable. By joining Green Labs NL I hope to contribute to a growing community of sustainable labs!
Joep Sprangers
Hi! My name is Joep, I am a PhD student at UMC Utrecht and I study a family of proteins that is important for stem cell maintenance in many organs, and how their deregulation contributes to cancer development. I use a 3D-culture system called organoids for my research and have been working in the cell culture lab now for many years. I have a background in Biology and have always been interested in nature, wildlife and its conservation. During my PhD, it became clear how big the footprint of scientists is, just because of our work in the lab. I became aware of the worldwide greenlabs movement and joined it myself by starting a Green Team in our department in 2022. I now joined GreenlabsNL to keep on working on lab sustainability and contribute to the growing greenlabs community in the Netherlands. I believe that with relatively simple greenlabs actions we can make a lot of impact and that together we can continue making science greener in the Netherlands.
Laura Meulenbroeks
Hi! I’m Laura, a molecular diagnostics technician for the Department of Pathology at the Erasmus MC. Here, I perform different molecular techniques to analyse genetic changes in tumour tissue of patients upon request of pathologists, clinicians and other hospitals. Beyond the lab, I care about sustainability. Whether it’s finding eco-friendly solutions in the lab or integrating sustainable habits into my personal life, I’m committed to making a positive impact on both the scientific and environmental fronts. I strongly believe that if everyone takes small steps towards sustainability, this can have a positive impact on reducing climate change. In addition to the green team of the EMC pathology department, I’ve also joined Green Labs NL aiming to inspire more labs to take small steps towards a sustainable work environment.
Rolf Slaats
Hello, I am Rolf and I currently work as a Post Doc at the University of Twente. My scientific focus is on the development of stem cell-based in vitro models to study cardiac diseases and toxicities, so I am mostly working in “wet” labs culturing cells. It is in these labs that I realized how big our footprint on the environment is as scientists, since we consume large amounts of disposable plastics and electricity. This motivated me to focus my energy on reducing our impact on the planet as much as I can whilst still performing science. At Green Labs NL, we can make a difference by educating the scientific community in how to be scientifically successful and sustainable at the same time. I am proud to be a part of that movement.
Boaz Chemtob
Hi, I’m Boaz, the Sustainability Officer for the Faculty of Geoscience at Utrecht University. With a background firmly rooted in environmental sciences and sustainability, my passion for protecting nature and enhancing people’s lives has guided my career. I’ve gained experience working in diverse environments as my journey began at the Ministry of Environment within the Director General’s office, where I contributed to sustainable initiatives. Subsequently, I transitioned to the private sector, focusing on promoting sustainable tourism. Currently, I am dedicated to advancing sustainability within university operations and laboratory facilities.
In my daily work, I prioritise collaboration, actively engaging with individuals at all levels of the organisation to understand their challenges and concerns. Together, we work on solutions. This collaborative approach brings me immense satisfaction. I’ve had the privilege of partnering with Green Labs NL to champion the vital field of green labs in the Netherlands.