About us
Single Cell Discoveries makes single-cell sequencing accessible for everyone
Single Cell Discoveries provides complete single-cell sequencing services. We help you get the best out of your single-cell experiments by offering everything you need for a successful project - planning, experiments, and data analysis - under one roof.
Founded in 2018 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, SCD has serviced 150+ researchers from more than 60 institutes and companies across 15 countries. As well as making single-cell sequencing accessible to a wide research community, we are committed to continuous development and offering the very latest single-cell sequencing technologies.
About the founders
Judith Vivié and Mauro Muraro founded Single Cell Discoveries after working together in the Alexander van Oudenaarden lab at the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, the Netherlands. They worked on some of the earliest single-cell sequencing technologies, back when every single cell had to be handled manually.
During his PhD, Mauro devised the SORT-seq technique to automate this process, which was published on Cell Systems in 2016. As demand rapidly grew for single-cell sequencing, the Hubrecht Institute Single Cell Core Facility was established, with Judith as its general manager. The core facility, one of the first in the world, quickly grew to service customers from many different research groups both inside and outside the Hubrecht Institute.
When Judith and Mauro realized that there was an urgent need for expert services in the single-cell sequencing field, they decided to team up to start Single Cell Discoveries. Since the very beginning, their goal has been the same: to make single-cell sequencing available to everyone.
OUR MISSION
To provide high-quality, state-of-the-art single-cell sequencing methods and expertise. To contribute to ground-breaking research. To develop and implement single-cell technologies fit for use in clinical settings.
OUR VISION
We believe that current and future single-cell technologies should be easily accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Our team
Meet our team of talented and experienced scientists
and get to know their inner nerd 
Mauro Muraro
Co-founder & CEO
Mauro is responsible for steering SCD in the right direction, setting up scientific collaborations and to keep pushing single-cell sequencing technology to new heights. He loves using technology to solve complex biological questions. Before founding SCD, Mauro finished his PhD at the Hubrecht Institute (van Oudenaarden lab), where he developed the SORT-seq platform for single-cell sequencing. His inner nerd is triggered by all things quantitative, and he knows many obscure Greek Mythology stories.
Judith Vivié
Co-founder & COO
As COO, Judith spearheads operational excellence at the company and has the final responsibility of running client experiments. She had extensive experience running the core facility for single-cell sequencing at the Hubrecht Institute, one of the first of its kind in the world, before co-founding Single Cell Discoveries in 2018. Judith has an MSc degree in Cancer, Stem Cells & Development from Utrecht University. She is an aficionado for lab robots and gets her inner nerd excited by sharing her love for automation with others.
Bastiaan Bijl
Head of Business Development
Bastiaan is responsible for Sales and Business Development at Single Cell Discoveries. He loves to talk to (potential) customers and discuss their scientific projects to figure out how we can help. Bastiaan has a knack for automation and tries to automate his day-to-day tasks as much as possible. With an MSc in Science & Business Management and a background in consulting, his inner nerd is triggered by Excel spreadsheets.
Lotte Koopman
Head of Laboratory Operations
Lotte is highly meticulous and loves a perfectly organized lab, making her our ideal lab manager. She manages the daily operations of the laboratory and oversees the processing of customer samples, lab safety, and QC. Before joining SCD, she completed her Ph.D. at the UMC Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute, where she gained extensive experience with genetics and with project management. In her free time, Lotte enjoys traveling and photography, and she is currently improving her programming skills with R and Python.
Dylan Mooijman
Head of R&D
Dylan leads the research and development team responsible for developing new technologies and improving current methods. He brings a hefty 10 years of experience with single-cell technologies to the team, which he gained as postdoc and HFSP fellow at EMBL Heidelberg (Ephrussi lab) and PhD student in the Van Oudenaarden lab (Hubrecht Institute). He loves to work on the cutting edge of single-cell sequencing techniques. Apart from molecular biology, Dylan loves classic literature and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Andrei Prodan
Head of Data
Andrei is responsible for coordinating the SCD Data Science team, updating and maintaining computational infrastructure and managing research collaborations. Originally from Romania, he obtained his BSc and MSc degrees studying in Romania, Germany, Denmark, Finland and Canada before earning his PhD at the Free University of Amsterdam. He was a postdoctoral researcher in Bioinformatics at the AMC for 4 years analyzing human clinical trial and cohort data. Before SCD, he worked as Senior Data Scientist at NIZO, a Dutch CRO doing research for the Food and Pharma industries. He enjoys running, hiking and reading.
Chalene Ehlers
HR Manager
Chalene focuses on HR at Single Cell Discoveries. She has come all the way from South Africa where she obtained her qualification in Marketing and Business Management. She has a strong background in customer relations and staff management. Her management expertise stems from various senior management positions, where she was responsible for excellence, HR duties and the general management. For her hobbies, Chalene loves to scuba dive, cuddle with her fur-babies, walks, and meeting new people.
Jenine Kruger
Management Assistant
Jenine focuses on assisting the CEO, COO as well as the heads of departments. She is originally from South Africa, where she obtained 17 years of experience in personal and administrative assistance. Jenine loves spending time with her husband and children and visiting art galleries, flower gardens, historical buildings, and museums. She is also greatly interested in beauty, such as make-up, nails, and pedicures.
Jan Willem Wijnands
Data Manager
Jan Willem's main focus is on maintaining the data analysis pipeline at Single Cell Discoveries. He completed his BSc degree in Bioinformatics at the University of Applied Sciences Leiden and his MSc degree in Evolutionary Biology at Leiden University. During his research internships, he mainly worked on the phylogenetics of bacteria, orchids and banded newts at Institute Biology Leiden and Naturalis Biodiversity Center. During off-duty time, his inner nerd gets triggered by all types of gadgets to establish a smarter home!
Nathalie Groen
Data Scientist
Nathalie helps our customers get the most out of their data as a part-time data scientist. Next to that, she is a PostDoc at the Hubrecht Institute, where she works on building a cell atlas on the human pancreas. Being a biomedical engineer, she obtained her Ph.D. in computational biology at the University of Twente. She first started working with single-cell data as a PostDoc when studying β-cell biology in the context of diabetes. At home, she is using Raspberry Pi's to smarten things up.
Janneke Hulsen
Data Scientist
Janneke analyzes and interprets single-cell sequencing data to uncover useful insights. She studied Philosophy and Biomedical Sciences, specializing in immunology with a Master's degree in Infection & Immunity. Next to performing data analyses at SCD, she follows a second master’s in Bioinformatics to further expand her programming skills. Her inner nerd is excited to learn programs and languages: from Spanish and Illustrator to R. Janneke recognizes any common wild bird within 0.1 seconds.
Empar Baltasar Pérez
Junior Data Scientist
Empar focuses on setting up a pipeline to analyze spatial transcriptomics data. She obtained a BSc degree in Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at University of Valencia, and is currently pursuing a MSc in Bioinformatics and Biocomplexity at Utrecht University. During her previous research internships, she gained experience both in wet and dry labs, being able now to run a PCR as well as write a Python/R script. Besides science, she loves listening to and playing music. She can play the flute and the piano.
Sofia Drobysheva
Junior Data Scientist
Sofia is working together with R&D and Data teams to analyse data from the exciting in-house projects. Before joining SCD, she was living in Stockholm where she did her bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as working parttime in a biotech start-up. Her bachelor’s project focused on yeast with impaired Ca2+ homeostasis. During her master’s she got into single-cell transcriptomics and as a result she was integrating single-cell datasets for her master’s degree project. In her free time Sofia goes on long city walks or hikes.
Pablo Gómez Sacristán
Junior Bioinformatician
Pablo works as a junior bioinformatician at Single Cell Discoveries and is responsible for processing and sending out data to clients. He obtained both his BSc in Biotechnology and MSc in Computational Biology at Technical University of Madrid and carried out his internships in Ireland and France. He then moved to Amsterdam to work at Macrogen Europe, as a Bioinformatician analyzing NGS data. His inner nerd gets triggered by videogames such as Pokemon and Super Mario.
Florin Poenariu
Data Intern
Florin will be working on the SCD pipelines, helping develop them while analyzing the results and evaluating the pipelines performance. He did a Bachelors in Physics, specialized in pure physics, alongside a minor in Computer Science from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Now, he is doing a Master’s degree in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, hence doing his thesis project at SCD. In his free time, he likes to go to the gym on a daily basis, read non-fiction and play video games.
Hannah Oevermans
Team Lead Marketing
Hannah is responsible for the marketing team and the off- and online marketing activities at Single Cell Discoveries. She has a Master's degree in Science & Business Management and a BSc degree in Biomedical Sciences, both obtained at Utrecht University. She finished her Master program at Single Cell Discoveries with a marketing internship and her thesis about branding. Before she joined SCD, she completed a research internship on acute infant leukemia at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology. Her inner nerd is triggered by board games and unsolved mysteries.
Kelly Klaassen
Online Marketer
Kelly is responsible for digital marketing at Single Cell Discoveries. She completed her MSc degree in Biomedical Sciences with a specialization in management at the University of Leiden. The dual nature of this master allows her to combine her passions for both science and business. During her research internships, she gained experience in both wet and dry labs. In her masters, she did a management internship for Single Cell Discoveries. During this internship, she focused on investigating the needs and wants of commercial clients. In her spare time, she loves to do sports and play board games.
Niels Tjoonk
Content Marketer
While Niels' left hand is writing ebooks, his right hand will be typing blog posts, and his mind will be searching for new ways to tell the story of Single Cell Discoveries. He did a bachelor's in biomedical sciences, a master's in cancer, stem cells & developmental biology, and a minor in science communication at Utrecht University. He likes to play footy, read, draw, and give guided tours through Utrecht during his time off. You can speak to his inner nerd with questions about famous writers, genome evolution and HBO's Deadwood.
Doreth Fransen
Automation Scientist
Doreth works as an Automation Scientist in our R&D department. Currently, she focuses on managing and testing new robotic solutions to automate our current and new techniques. Prior to joining Single Cell Discoveries, she completed her Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Biotechnology (with a major in Forensic Sciences) at Van Hall Larenstein and graduated from her Master's in Biology of Disease at Utrecht University. In her spare time, she enjoys thrill-seeking sports such as snowboarding and kitesurfing.
Darina Šikrová
R&D Scientist
Darina works as a Scientist in our R&D department, where she is working on improving the currently offered methods as well as developing new ones. Born and raised in Slovakia, she obtained her BSc in Biology there and, afterward, her MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics in the Czech Republic. After that, she moved to the Netherlands to get her PhD at Leiden University Medical Centre on a gene therapy approach to Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. She enjoys doing yoga and solving a daily Wordle puzzle.
Stefani Giacopazzi
Support Scientist
Stefani started out at SCD managing our bulk RNA-seq pipeline. After single-handedly processing thousands of samples, she carried her bulk RNA-seq expertise into her next role in SCD's R&D team, where she is responsible for bulk RNA-seq optimization and translating new R&D techniques into service-ready SOPs for our Services team. She is originally from California and completed her BSc in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her inner nerd is obsessed with the human microbiome, tropical plants, and exploring recipes from all over the world.
Fredrik Salmén
Data scientist & R&D Consultant
Fredrik’s role is to improve existing methods and to develop novel methods that we can offer our clients. He takes pride and joy in working with technologies covering the transcriptomics and genomics field, focusing mainly on single-cell and spatial methods. Before working for SCD, Fredrik was a PhD student at the Royal Institute of technology (KTH)/Scilifelab in Stockholm, Sweden, followed by a post-doc position at the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, Netherlands. In his free time, Fredrik enjoys working on and riding motorcycles, spending time with his family and surfing.
Nataša Josipović
10x Genomics Scientist
Nataša is responsible for 10x Genomics samples and processing at Single Cell Discoveries. She is originally from Serbia, where she completed her Bachelors in Molecular Biology and Master studies in the field of Neurobiology. Before joining SCD, she completed her PhD at International Max Planck Research School for Genome Science in Germany, studying multifaceted regulatory mechanisms governing the cell’s transcription program. Besides her enthusiasm for learning piano, her inner nerd is excited by computational analysis and automation of NGS data, as well as coding in R/Python.
Anneleen Bobeldijk
Team Lead Plate-based Services
Anneleen works as Team lead of plate-based services at Single Cell Discoveries and is responsible for leading and monitoring the plate-based services team. She maintains overall TaT, runs experiments and is in touch with clients. Before that, she completed her BSc in Life Sciences from the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. She did internships in Israel at the Sheba Medical Center and at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. Besides biology, she is interested in women's empowerment. She is currently training her Krav Maga skills and helping at self-defense classes for women.
Jeroen Geerligs
Lab Technician
Jeroen works as a lab technician at Single Cell Discoveries and is responsible for sample processing, sample shipments, and lab maintenance. He has obtained both his BSc and MSc in Life Sciences at Utrecht University. Jeroen has worked a lot with lentiviral transduction systems to manipulate cell differentiation with transcription factors and to reverse mutations in DNA with Prime Editing. Away from the lab, Jeroen likes to spend his time outside on his road bike, running, hiking, and ice skating.
Lovindy Lebalado
Lab Technician
Lovindy is responsible for sample processing, sample shipments, and general lab maintenance. She was born and raised in Indonesia, where she obtained her Bachelor’s in Nutrition Science. After her Bachelor's degree, she moved to the Netherlands to obtain her Master’s in Molecular Nutrition and Toxicology at Wageningen University. Before SCD, she has gained experience in panel sequencing as a lab technician for the NGS lab at Macrogen Europe. In her free time, she can be found creating new recipes or taking care of her plant colony.
Manon Messchendorp
Lab Technician
As a lab technician at Single Cell Discoveries, Manon is responsible for sample processing, sample shipments, and lab maintenance. She obtained her BSc and MSc in Biology at the University of Leiden. During her internships, she worked on the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress response in zebrafish embryos and the identification of mutation-independent neoantigens in cancer cells. Besides playing tennis, going to the gym, and an occasional run, her inner nerd gets excited by fantasy books and video games.
Reinke de Vries
Financial Assistant
Reinke is responsible for the operational tasks in finance, including invoicing. Reinke’s education actually started in science. She finished the HLO in Utrecht. Reinke started working in finance and for the last 15 years, she has worked for multiple businesses ranging from small to big companies. Her inner geek is triggered by old-fashioned hidden object games. If she has some spare time, she likes to take care of her garden and pond with the many fishes it harbours.
Marina Costagliola di Polidoro
Business Development Representative
Marina will be responsible for the sales pipeline and executing consultation calls with leads and clients. She completed her BSc in molecular biology at the University of Naples Federico II. Soon after, she recognized her character suited communication and sales activities better, so she combined her scientific background with the goal of fulfilling clients' needs. She gained experience in sales working for denovoMATRIX, a German biotech start-up where she learned account management and sales strategies. In her free time, she (binge-)watches movies or series and enjoys making lists (lots of lists), playing board games, and solving puzzles.
André Nascimento
Project Manager
André is responsible for supporting our management with organization and communication regarding important, companywide complex projects. Furthermore, communicating company strategy to internal & external stakeholders. André has an MSc in Business Administration in Change Management and Biotechnology graduate. André has experience with Project Management, Sales, and Business Development for life-science projects. Master studies internship as Project Commercialization Manager in the FMCG industry at Friesland Campina and sales experience in the genome sequencing space as Sales Account Manager for Macrogen Europe.
Victor Swartz
Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer
Victor is managing all technical infrastructure for IT services for Single Cell Discoveries. His focus is mainly on engaging with suppliers and vendors to understand the technology choices for Single Cell Discoveries with a focus on a medium or long-term strategy. He is also bringing many services in-house that were previously managed by our former IT partner. Victor has a variety of industry-recognized certifications from AWS, Cisco, Fortinet, Microsoft, and others, and he is always looking forward to the next technical challenge to master.
Tim Muntslag
Account Executive
Tim is responsible for our contact with customers and consults on the use of our services. He is an educated neuroscientist and molecular biologist that has received a PhD in microglial heterogeneity. During his work, he developed a passion for science and gained broad experience in single-cell technologies, both single-cell and spatial. His inner nerd gets excited about healthy ageing, (endurance) sports, sports science, and nutrition.
Oriol Llorà Batlle
PERSIST-SEQ Scientist
Oriol is responsible for coordinating the efforts of SCD within the PERSIST-SEQ consortium. He loves challenges and using cutting-edge technologies to address challenging questions. He obtained his BSc degree in Biology at the University of Girona and his MSc and PhD in Biomedical Research at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. Before joining SCD, he was working at the University of Cambridge doing research on developmental biology. His inner nerd is triggered by LOTR and video games. He also enjoys road cycling, board games and the company of a good book.
Sabine Tanis
Senior R&D Scientist
Sabine is a Senior Scientist in the R&D department and is responsible for enhancing current protocols, developing new methods and supporting demanding customer requests. Before working at SCD, she worked as a postdoc at the Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences in Nijmegen, studying keratinocyte biology through multi-modal single-cell sequencing methods. In her spare time, Sabine loves being outside biking or hiking, and her inner nerd loves to read a good fantasy book.
Virginia Palomares Cabeza
Scientific Project Manager
Virginia is Scientific Project Manager and is responsible for coordinating the communication in complex projects across teams and between SCD and clients, as well as keeping track of milestones, deadlines, and capacity planning. She completed her joint PhD in Immunology and Regenerative Medicine at the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and the University College Dublin. Her inner nerd loves interior decoration and organizing stuff, and in her free time, she likes dancing ballet, trying out new food, and journaling.
Unai Escribano Vazquez
Team Lead NGS
Unai is responsible for the Next Generation Sequencing team, managing the internal sequencing facilities. His work experience includes setting up the sequencing facility at the CRO Biomillenia in France, and with 5+ years of research and project management experience in micro- and molecular biology, Unai is an expert in his field. He received his PhD in intestinal microbiota at the Sorbonne University in Paris. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, spending time in nature, and backpacking.
Advisory board
ALEXANDER VAN OUDENAARDEN
Advisory board member
Prof. Dr. Ir. Alexander van Oudenaarden gained his PhD in physics in 1998 from Delft University, the Netherlands.
After a postdoc at Stanford, he moved to MIT in Cambridge, MA in 2000 and became Professor of Physics in 2008, as well as Professor of Biology in 2009.
In 2012 he moved back to the Netherlands to become director of the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research and professor of quantitative biology of gene regulation at the University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University.
He has been a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2014.
JOHN GROTEN
Advisory board member
Prof. Dr. Ir. John Groten is the managing director of PamGene and a visiting professor at Wageningen University.
He is an experienced business leader with over 30 years of management experience in life science research companies.
After gaining his PhD at Wageningen University in 1992, he started his career at TNO before joining various other life science companies and contract research organizations.
He describes himself as "Change manager to enhance quality, creativity, and business insight in organizations", which sums up the expertise that he brings to Single Cell Discoveries.
MENZO HAVENGA
Advisory board member
Dr. Menzo Havenga is Founder, President & CEO of Batavia Biosciences and Batavia Biopharma since company launch in 2010.
After obtaining his PhD degree in molecular virology at the University of Leiden, he worked as a Senior scientist and subsequently Director Research at IntroGene B.V. until 2001.
He then continued his career as Vice president Research and Development at Crucell until 2007, followed by joining TNO as the Managing Director Business Unit Biosciences.
Support partners
Hubrecht Institute
