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Ewoud Compeer

Postdoctoral Research Associate

From Utrecht to Oxford via Sydney, the consistent thread running through Ewoud's research has been seeking to understand the role of endocytic network remodelling and reorganisation during immune cell-cell interaction using leading microscopy techniques and its translation to human diseases.

University of Utrecht, the Netherlands

As an undergraduate, he was able to conduct research with Dr. Berend-Jan Bosch on the mechanisms of spike protein-mediated Coronavirus entry during endocytosis, and with Prof. Cox Terhost at Harvard Medical School on the microbial-sensing role of SLAM and the consequences for bacterial endosome remodelling in macrophages. As a PhD candidate with Dr. Marianne Boes, his research focussed on cell biological processes that occur during / prior to activation of antigen-specific lymphocytes with a special focus on endosomal remodelling in both healthy and patient immune cells.

University of New South Wales, Australia

In postdoctoral work in Sydney, Ewoud expanded his imaging skills at the EMBL node and ARC centre of excellence for single molecule imaging at the University of New South Wales; specifically – imaging beyond the light diffraction limit, including SPT-PALM, 2D-PALM and dSTORM. Applying these and other techniques on T cell receptor (TCR) trafficking, his team identified a protein that forms and demonstrates a connection between activation-induced 2D nanoscaled TCR redistribution at the cell surface and reorganisation of the underlying 3D endocytic network. All necessary for an efficient activation of T cells and the following immune response.

University of Oxford, the United Kingdom

Here at Oxford, within Professor Mike Dustin's Immunological Synapse Group, Ewoud is combining his expertise in live cell and super-resolution imaging with his extensive knowledge of the endocytic network and associated signalling pathways to investigate T cell receptor-enriched extracellular vesicles and other vesicles released from T cells. He will use the recently built SIM-TIRF microscope with enhanced resolution and fast acquisition speed to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of these vesicles' formation and release. As he found that these T cell-released vesicles have strong immunomodulatory capabilities, Ewoud will strongly focus on how his acquired mechanistic insights could improve future patient care.

Alongside his research commitments, Ewoud feels a responsibility to help shape the next generation of scientists through involvement in Bachelor, Masters and PhD programmes and is keen to engage younger audiences via outreach such as the Curiosity Carnival. In his spare time he is enjoying being able to discover the cultural diversity of Oxford and London and to run alongside the Thames.