Professor Mark van der Giezen
My research explores intestinal microbiology and how microbial eukaryotes adapt biochemically to life in the gut of humans and animals. I completed my PhD at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) before moving to London for postdoctoral research at the Natural History Museum and Royal Holloway, University of London. There, I studied the evolution and biochemistry of anaerobic microbes, including those living in the human intestine.
I went on to hold academic positions at Queen Mary University of London and the University of Exeter, where I became Associate Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry. During this time, my work expanded to include livestock and aquaculture microbiomes, intestinal parasites, and the role of microbes in both human and animal health — combining evolutionary biology with applied research.
In 2019, I moved to Norway to join the University of Stavanger as Professor of Biological Chemistry. There, I set up a research programme on intestinal protists in collaboration with clinical partners at the academic hospital and introduced several teaching innovations within the MSc Biological Chemistry programme.
I will shortly join the University of Greenwich as Professor and Associate Director for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), where I will lead interdisciplinary research on host–microbe–environment interactions across human, animal, and environmental systems, and help shape NRI’s research strategy, grant development, and academic mentoring.
I also keep a part-time affiliation with the University of Stavanger to continue supporting my PhD students and ongoing research projects.