About L.E. (Leslie) Sanderson, PhD
Introduction
I am an Assistant Professor in the department of Clinical Genetics embedded within the Barakat research group. My research seeks to uncover the mechanistic underpinnings of neurogenetic disorders by combining novel genomic engineering techniques with in vivo zebrafish models. These allow me to directly observe cell development and behaviour so we can learn how these are altered by the specific genetic changes we see in patients and how we might be able to correct or modify these processes to help improve patient outcomes.
Education and career
My doctoral studies investigated the immunometabolic response of macrophages, using zebrafish as an in vivo model. These were completed in the lab of Prof. Phil Crosier at the University of Auckland (NZ), under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Hall. I joined Tjakko van Ham’s research group at Erasmus MC in 2019, where I studied the role of microglia in the development and maintenance of brain health. In 2021 I shifted to the group of Dr. Stefan Barakat, where I continue to apply zebrafish modeling and genomic engineering techniques to the study of brain health and disease.
Teaching activities
I am a co-promoter for four current PhD candidates and regularly mentor and supervise internship students of all levels.
I am also part of the core teacher team for the Research Master Genomics in Society, where I teach in and coordinate the courses Genomic Methodologies and Advanced Genomic Methodologies. I also guest lectures in other programs on various topics, often related to in vivo disease modeling.
Other positions
Board member of the Erasmus MC Postdoc Network
Chair of the Erasmus MC Zebrafish Users group
Scholarships, grants, and awards
Erasmus MC Starting grant (2024)
LEaDing Fellows Programme Fellowship (Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND) (2019)
