About us Trusted for our single-cell expertise
Single Cell Discoveries is your go-to discovery partner for customized single-cell sequencing and analysis.
The leading single-cell
sequencing CRO
We are focused on providing cutting-edge single-cell sequencing services to biopharmaceutical companies, health systems, and academic research centers globally. Located in our brand-new laboratory in Utrecht, the Netherlands, our team of PhD scientists is dedicated to developing customized solutions for your unique scientific questions, all while ensuring rapid turnaround times and high quality.
History
Ever a sole focus on single-cell science
What is now an industry-leading single-cell laboratory was once nothing more than a bold idea.
Single Cell Discoveries co-founder Mauro Muraro, PhD, started working on some of the earliest single-cell technologies in the Van Oudenaarden lab at the Hubrecht Institute. Back then, single cells were moved by mouth pipette. The procedure was so laborious and the empty pipette boxes so numerous that Mauro committed himself to develop a higher-throughput, standardized protocol. Recruiting several robots, Mauro was able to replace manual mouth pipetting with mechanized liquid handling and accomplish in an afternoon what used to take a year. This protocol was published in 2016 as SORT-seq.
From then on, The Hubrecht Institute established the Single Cell Core Facility, one of the first of its kind in the world. Co-founder Judith Vivié was recruited to run the facility, and demand
exploded. In 2018, after one of many long weeks serving clients through the core facility, Mauro and Judith decided they could best meet the growing demand for single-cell sequencing services through an independent company. Five years later, quality service, intelligent automation, bleeding-edge technology, and hard work are still central to Single Cell Discoveries' expanding operations. Each member of the growing team is committed to advancing single-cell sequencing and empowering clients with impactful single-cell discoveries with the ultimate goal of improving the human condition.
Timeline
2016
Mauro Muraro publishes SORT-seq, a robotized plate-based single-cell sequencing platform. The Single Cell Sequencing Facility is established at the Hubrecht Institute.
2018
Mauro Muraro and Judith Vivié decide to start Single Cell Discoveries to meet the growing single- cell sequencing demand.
2020
The company expands to 10 employees and offers single-cell sequencing services all over the world.
2021
Single Cell Discoveries becomes a Certified Service Provider for 10x Genomics and joins the PERSIST-seq consortium.
2023
Single Cell Discoveries has grown to a leading CRO in the field, with 40 employees and 1200 m2 newly-built office and lab space.
Mission
To accelerate groundbreaking research by developing and offering cutting-edge single-cell technologies as a service.
Vision
To help improve the human condition by bringing the power of single-cell analyses and discoveries to the clinic.
Founders
Mauro Muraro
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Mauro Muraro, PhD, leads scientific and technical initiatives and is closely involved with client relationships, excelling in bespoke project design and complex data analysis. Before co-founding Single Cell Discoveries, Mauro developed the SORT-seq platform in the Van Oudenaarden Lab at the Hubrecht Institute, where he earned his PhD. Mauro is eager to continue innovating new methods in the single-cell field to accelerate biological discovery for clients and realize the potential of single-cell insights in clinical settings.
Judith Vivié
CO-FOUNDER AND COO
Judith Vivié runs laboratory and quality assurance operations. Before co-founding Single Cell Discoveries and after completing her masters, Judith led the single-cell sequencing core facility at the Hubrecht Institute, one of the first facilities in the world to make single-cell innovations accessible to academic and biopharmaceutical clients. There, she earned the nickname "mother of robots" for her unparalleled ability to integrate smart automation into single-cell workflows. Judith is dedicated to continuing to standardize and perfect single-cell workflows to bring the highest quality data to clients.
This is who we are
Mauro Muraro
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Mauro Muraro, PhD, leads scientific and technical initiatives and is closely involved with client relationships, excelling in bespoke project design and complex data analysis. Before co-founding Single Cell Discoveries, Mauro developed the SORT-seq platform in the Van Oudenaarden Lab at the Hubrecht Institute, where he earned his PhD. Mauro is eager to continue innovating new methods in the single-cell field to accelerate biological discovery for clients and realize the potential of single-cell insights in clinical settings.
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Judith Vivié
CO-FOUNDER AND 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.
CO-FOUNDER AND COO
Anke McCartney
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
Anke McCartney, PhD, is in charge of both the sales and marketing teams. She has over 20 years of experience in the industry, primarily in commercial roles for CROs. Anke is enthusiastic about interacting with clients and finding the most effective solutions for them. She has a PhD in Cell Biology and is fascinated by wildlife photography, which ignites her inner nerd.
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
Dylan Mooijman
HEAD OF R&D
Dylan Mooijman, PhD, 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 a postdoc and HFSP fellow at EMBL Heidelberg (Ephrussi lab) and PhD student in the Van Oudenaarden lab (Hubrecht Institute).
HEAD OF R&D
Lotte Koopman
HEAD OF LABORATORY OPERATIONS
Lotte Koopman, PhD, 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 PhD at the UMC Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute, where she gained extensive experience with genetics and project management.
In her free time, Lotte enjoys traveling and photography, and she is currently honing her programming skills with R and Python.
HEAD OF LABORATORY OPERATIONS
Andrei Prodan
HEAD OF DATA
Andrei Prodan, PhD, is responsible for coordinating the SCD Data Science team, updating and maintaining computational infrastructure, and managing research collaborations. Before SCD, he worked as Senior Data Scientist at NIZO, a Dutch CRO doing research for the Food and Pharma industries. Prior, he was a postdoctoral researcher in Bioinformatics at the AMC Amsterdam for 4 years analyzing human clinical trial and cohort data, and obtained his PhD at the Free University Amsterdam. He enjoys running, hiking and reading.
HEAD OF DATA
Sabine Tanis
TEAM LEAD METHOD DEVELOPMENT
Sabine Tanis, PhD, is Team Lead Method Development 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.
TEAM LEAD METHOD DEVELOPMENT
Oriol Llorà-Batlle
TEAM LEAD EXTERNAL R&D ALLIANCES
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.
TEAM LEAD EXTERNAL R&D ALLIANCES
Nathalie Groen
TEAM LEAD DATA CONSULTING
Nathalie Groen, PhD, helps our customers get the most out of their data as team lead of the data analysis project scientists. Next to that, she is a PostDoc at the Hubrecht Institute, where she works on building a cell atlas on the human pancreas. She obtained her PhD 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.
TEAM LEAD DATA CONSULTING
Nataša Josipović
TEAM LEAD OF 10X GENOMICS
Nataša Josipović, PhD, is responsible for 10x Genomics samples and processing at Single Cell Discoveries. 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. She is originally from Serbia, where she completed her bachelor's in molecular biology and master's in the field of neurobiology. 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.
TEAM LEAD OF 10X GENOMICS
Anneleen Bobeldijk
TEAM LEAD CEL-SEQ SERVICES
Anneleen works as Team lead of CEL-seq services at Single Cell Discoveries and is responsible for leading and monitoring the CEL-seq services team. She maintains overall turnaround times, runs experiments, manages projects, and is in touch with clients. Before joining SCD, she completed her BSc in Life Sciences from the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. She completed internships in Israel at the Sheba Medical Center and at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.
Besides biology, she is interested in women's empowerment and enjoys going to the gym and doing DIY projects.
TEAM LEAD CEL-SEQ SERVICES
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.
TEAM LEAD NGS
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.
PROJECT MANAGER
Sofia Drobysheva
JUNIOR DATA SCIENTIST
Sofia is working together with R&D and data teams to analyze data from mainly 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 part-time in biotech start-up Capitainer. During her master’s project, she has integrating single-cell datasets. Her bachelor’s project focused on yeast with impaired Ca2+ homeostasis. In her free time, Sofia goes on long city walks or hikes.
DATA SCIENTIST
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. Prior to starting at Single Cell Discoveries, Pablo worked at Macrogen Europe as a Bioinformatician analyzing NGS data. He obtained both his MSc in Computational Biology and BSc in Biotechnology at the Technical University of Madrid and carried out his internships in Ireland and France. His inner nerd gets triggered by retro video games such as Pokémon and Super Mario.
JUNIOR BIOINFORMATICIAN
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. Out of office hours, his inner nerd gets triggered by all types of gadgets to establish a smarter home.
DATA MANAGER
May Ho
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
May Ho, PhD, manages client relationships and ensures that they receive the best possible service from our company. Meanwhile, she explores the market to identify new business opportunities and connects Single Cell Discoveries with new clients.
She pursued a PhD in neurodevelopment at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in Munich, Germany. In her thesis, she applied single-cell genomic technology to study inhibitory neuron fate commitment. She also developed a single-cell–compatible lineage tracing method that enabled a more comprehensive understanding of neuronal differentiation.
Outside of science, she enjoys taking pictures with her analog camera, visiting arts museums and the opera, and watching foreign films.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Tim Muntslag
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Tim Muntslag, PhD, is responsible for our contact with customers and consults on the use of our services. He is an educated neuroscientist and molecular biologist with 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 aging, (endurance) sports, sports science, and nutrition.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Marina Costagliola di Polidoro
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPRESENTATIVE
Marina is 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.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPRESENTATIVE
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.
HR MANAGER
Gini Smit
R&D SCIENTIST
R&D SCIENTIST
Darina Šikrová
R&D SCIENTIST
Darina Šikrová, PhD, 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.
R&D SCIENTIST
Amalia Riga
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Amalia Riga, PhD, is responsible for setting up and implementing lab automations to improve and scale up Single Cell Discoveries’ workflows.
Before joining SCD, she was an automation scientist at Hudson River Biotechnology, Wageningen, and obtained her PhD on a Marie Curie Fellowship studying the role of basal polarity regulators using C. elegans at Utrecht University. Born and raised on the island of Corfu in Greece, she completed her Bachelor's in the School of Biology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and her Masters in the Medical School of the University of Crete.
Her inner nerd enjoys reading Jo Nesbo books and rewatching the same movies and series.
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Doreth Fransen
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Doreth Fransen 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 with her Master's in Biology of Disease at Utrecht University.
In her spare time, she enjoys thrill-seeking sports such as snowboarding and kitesurfing.
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Daniel Armendariz
10X GENOMICS SCIENTIST
In his role as a Scientist at 10x Genomics, Daniel oversees services and sample processing related to 10x Genomics technology. Daniel holds a PhD in Genetics, Development & Disease from the University of Texas Southwestern in the United States. During his academic journey, he utilized single-cell CRISPRi screens to pinpoint crucial enhancers required for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells towards cardiomyocytes.
Outside of the lab, Daniel enjoys board games and has recently rekindled his interest in the art of juggling.
10X GENOMICS SCIENTIST
Lovindy Lebalado
LAB TECHNICIAN
Lovindy is responsible for sample processing, sample shipments, and general lab maintenance. Before SCD, she gained experience in panel sequencing as a lab technician for the NGS lab at Macrogen Europe. 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.
In her free time, she can be found creating new recipes or taking care of her plant colony.
LAB TECHNICIAN
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 MSc and BSc 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 on an occasional run, her inner nerd gets excited by fantasy books and video games.
LAB TECHNICIAN
Stefani Giacopazzi
DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR
Stefani Giacopazzi is originally from California where she completed her BSc in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at UCSC. She moved to the Netherlands for love in 2020. She began her career at SCD as a laboratory technician, before transitioning to R&D.
While helping SCD implement LIMS, she discovered her inner nerd's love for relational databases. As database admin, her focus now is helping her fellow scientists leverage software solutions to automate and optimize their workflows, so they can focus on the science.
When she’s not spending time immersed in the world of data modeling and optimization, she can be found cooking, traveling, and caring for her small jungle at home
DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR
K Pereni Sri Rajitha
MARKETING MANAGER
Pereni found her passion for marketing in the biotech world while working in the lab, where she saw the importance of making academic insights accessible to a broader audience. Before joining SCD, she was a marketing specialist at Toxys, a Dutch CRO specializing in in vitro toxicology services. As a commercially minded scientist, she blends creativity and scientific knowledge to highlight SCD's innovative solutions to biological challenges.
Pereni enjoys traveling and photography. She loves exploring new cultures and cuisines on all her adventures.
MARKETING MANAGER
Mauro Muraro
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Mauro Muraro, PhD, leads scientific and technical initiatives and is closely involved with client relationships, excelling in bespoke project design and complex data analysis. Before co-founding Single Cell Discoveries, Mauro developed the SORT-seq platform in the Van Oudenaarden Lab at the Hubrecht Institute, where he earned his PhD. Mauro is eager to continue innovating new methods in the single-cell field to accelerate biological discovery for clients and realize the potential of single-cell insights in clinical settings.
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Judith Vivié
CO-FOUNDER AND 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.
CO-FOUNDER AND COO
Anke McCartney
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
Anke McCartney, PhD, is in charge of both the sales and marketing teams. She has over 20 years of experience in the industry, primarily in commercial roles for CROs. Anke is enthusiastic about interacting with clients and finding the most effective solutions for them. She has a PhD in Cell Biology and is fascinated by wildlife photography, which ignites her inner nerd.
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
Lotte Koopman
HEAD OF LABORATORY OPERATIONS
Lotte Koopman, PhD, 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 PhD at the UMC Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute, where she gained extensive experience with genetics and project management.
In her free time, Lotte enjoys traveling and photography, and she is currently honing her programming skills with R and Python.
HEAD OF LABORATORY OPERATIONS
Dylan Mooijman
HEAD OF R&D
Dylan Mooijman, PhD, 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 a postdoc and HFSP fellow at EMBL Heidelberg (Ephrussi lab) and PhD student in the Van Oudenaarden lab (Hubrecht Institute).
HEAD OF R&D
Andrei Prodan
HEAD OF DATA
Andrei Prodan, PhD, is responsible for coordinating the SCD Data Science team, updating and maintaining computational infrastructure, and managing research collaborations. Before SCD, he worked as Senior Data Scientist at NIZO, a Dutch CRO doing research for the Food and Pharma industries. Prior, he was a postdoctoral researcher in Bioinformatics at the AMC Amsterdam for 4 years analyzing human clinical trial and cohort data, and obtained his PhD at the Free University Amsterdam. He enjoys running, hiking and reading.
HEAD OF DATA
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Dylan Mooijman
Head of R&D
Dylan Mooijman, PhD, 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 a 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.
HEAD OF R&D
Sabine Tanis
TEAM LEAD METHOD DEVELOPMENT
Sabine Tanis, PhD, is Team Lead Method Development 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.
TEAM LEAD METHOD DEVELOPMENT
Oriol Llorá Batlle
TEAM LEAD EXTERNAL R&D ALLIANCES
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.
TEAM LEAD EXTERNAL R&D ALLIANCES
Darina Šikrová
R&D SCIENTIST
Darina Šikrová, PhD, 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.
R&D SCIENTIST
Doreth Fransen
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Doreth Fransen 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 with her Master's in Biology of Disease at Utrecht University.
In her spare time, she enjoys thrill-seeking sports such as snowboarding and kitesurfing.
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Stefani Giacopazzi
DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR
Stefani Giacopazzi is originally from California where she completed her BSc in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at UCSC. She moved to the Netherlands for love in 2020. She began her career at SCD as a laboratory technician, before transitioning to R&D.
While helping SCD implement LIMS, she discovered her inner nerd's love for relational databases. As database admin, her focus now is helping her fellow scientists leverage software solutions to automate and optimize their workflows, so they can focus on the science.
When she’s not spending time immersed in the world of data modeling and optimization, she can be found cooking, traveling, and caring for her small jungle at home
DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR
Amalia Riga
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Amalia Riga, PhD, is responsible for setting up and implementing lab automations to improve and scale up Single Cell Discoveries’ workflows.
Before joining SCD, she was an automation scientist at Hudson River Biotechnology, Wageningen, and obtained her PhD on a Marie Curie Fellowship studying the role of basal polarity regulators using C. elegans at Utrecht University. Born and raised on the island of Corfu in Greece, she completed her Bachelor's in the School of Biology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and her Masters in the Medical School of the University of Crete.
Her inner nerd enjoys reading Jo Nesbo books and rewatching the same movies and series.
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Gini Smit
R&D SCIENTIST
R&D SCIENTIST
SERVICES
Lotte Koopman
HEAD OF LABORATORY OPERATIONS
Lotte Koopman, PhD, 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 PhD at the UMC Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute, where she gained extensive experience with genetics and project management.
In her free time, Lotte enjoys traveling and photography, and she is currently honing her programming skills with R and Python.
HEAD OF LABORATORY OPERATIONS
Anneleen Bobeldijk
TEAM LEAD CEL-SEQ SERVICES
Anneleen works as Team lead of CEL-seq services at Single Cell Discoveries and is responsible for leading and monitoring the CEL-seq services team. She maintains overall turnaround times, runs experiments, manages projects, and is in touch with clients. Before joining SCD, she completed her BSc in Life Sciences from the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. She completed internships in Israel at the Sheba Medical Center and at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.
Besides biology, she is interested in women's empowerment and enjoys going to the gym and doing DIY projects.
TEAM LEAD CEL-SEQ SERVICES
Nataša Josipovic
10x GENOMICS SCIENTIST
Nataša Josipovic, PhD, is responsible for 10x Genomics samples and processing at Single Cell Discoveries. 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. She is originally from Serbia, where she completed her bachelor' s in molecular biology and master's in the field of neurobiology. 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.
TEAM LEAD 10X GENOMICS
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.
TEAM LEAD NGS
Lovindy Lebalado
LAB TECHNICIAN
Lovindy is responsible for sample processing, sample shipments, and general lab maintenance. Before SCD, she gained experience in panel sequencing as a lab technician for the NGS lab at Macrogen Europe. 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.
In her free time, she can be found creating new recipes or taking care of her plant colony.
LAB TECHNICIAN
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 MSc and BSc 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 on an occasional run, her inner nerd gets excited by fantasy books and video games.
LAB TECHNICIAN
Daniel Armendariz
10X GENOMICS SCIENTIST
In his role as a Scientist at 10x Genomics, Daniel oversees services and sample processing related to 10x Genomics technology. Daniel holds a PhD in Genetics, Development & Disease from the University of Texas Southwestern in the United States. During his academic journey, he utilized single-cell CRISPRi screens to pinpoint crucial enhancers required for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells towards cardiomyocytes.
Outside of the lab, Daniel enjoys board games and has recently rekindled his interest in the art of juggling.
10X GENOMICS SCIENTIST
Andrei Prodan
HEAD OF DATA
Andrei Prodan, PhD, is responsible for coordinating the SCD Data Science team, updating and maintaining computational infrastructure, and managing research collaborations. Before SCD, he worked as Senior Data Scientist at NIZO, a Dutch CRO doing research for the Food and Pharma industries. Prior, he was a postdoctoral researcher in Bioinformatics at the AMC Amsterdam for 4 years analyzing human clinical trial and cohort data, and obtained his PhD at the Free University Amsterdam. He enjoys running, hiking and reading.
HEAD OF DATA
Nathalie Groen
TEAM LEAD DATA CONSULTING
Nathalie Groen, PhD, helps our customers get the most out of their data as team lead of the data analysis project scientists. Next to that, she is a PostDoc at the Hubrecht Institute, where she works on building a cell atlas on the human pancreas. She obtained her PhD 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.
TEAM LEAD DATA CONSULTING
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. Out of office hours, his inner nerd gets triggered by all types of gadgets to establish a smarter home.
DATA MANAGER
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. Prior to starting at Single Cell Discoveries, Pablo worked at Macrogen Europe as a Bioinformatician analyzing NGS data. He obtained both his MSc in Computational Biology and BSc in Biotechnology at the Technical University of Madrid and carried out his internships in Ireland and France. His inner nerd gets triggered by retro video games such as Pokémon and Super Mario.
JUNIOR BIOINFORMATICIAN
Sofia Drobysheva
JUNIOR DATA SCIENTIST
Sofia is working together with R&D and data teams to analyze data from mainly 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 part-time in biotech start-up Capitainer. During her master’s project, she has integrating single-cell datasets. Her bachelor’s project focused on yeast with impaired Ca2+ homeostasis. In her free time, Sofia goes on long city walks or hikes.
DATA SCIENTIST
Mauro Muraro
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Mauro Muraro, PhD, leads scientific and technical initiatives and is closely involved with client relationships, excelling in bespoke project design and complex data analysis. Before co-founding Single Cell Discoveries, Mauro developed the SORT-seq platform in the Van Oudenaarden Lab at the Hubrecht Institute, where he earned his PhD. Mauro is eager to continue innovating new methods in the single-cell field to accelerate biological discovery for clients and realize the potential of single-cell insights in clinical settings.
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Anke McCartney
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
Anke McCartney, PhD, is in charge of both the sales and marketing teams. She has over 20 years of experience in the industry, primarily in commercial roles for CROs. Anke is enthusiastic about interacting with clients and finding the most effective solutions for them. She has a PhD in Cell Biology and is fascinated by wildlife photography, which ignites her inner nerd.
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
Tim Muntslag
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Tim Muntslag, PhD, is responsible for our contact with customers and consults on the use of our services. He is an educated neuroscientist and molecular biologist with 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 aging, (endurance) sports, sports science, and nutrition.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
May Ho
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
May Ho, PhD, manages client relationships and ensures that they receive the best possible service from our company. Meanwhile, she explores the market to identify new business opportunities and connects Single Cell Discoveries with new clients.
She pursued a PhD in neurodevelopment at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in Munich, Germany. In her thesis, she applied single-cell genomic technology to study inhibitory neuron fate commitment. She also developed a single-cell–compatible lineage tracing method that enabled a more comprehensive understanding of neuronal differentiation.
Outside of science, she enjoys taking pictures with her analog camera, visiting arts museums and the opera, and watching foreign films.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Marina Costagliola di Polidoro
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPRESENTATIVE
Marina is 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.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPRESENTATIVE
Judith Vivié
CO-FOUNDER AND 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.
CO-FOUNDER AND COO
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.
PROJECT MANAGER
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.
HR MANAGER
Victor Swartz
IT INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER
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.
IT INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER
Advisory board
Prof. Alexander van Oudenaarden
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Prof. Alexander van Oudenaarden is the director of the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, a Professor of Quantitative Biology of Gene Regulation at the University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, and a Spinoza Price recipient. He is a leading researcher in stem cell biology and a pioneer of single-cell technologies. The Van Oudenaarden lab is innovating new methods in single cell multi-omics and maintains a collaborative relationship with Single Cell Discoveries.
Prof. John Groten
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Prof. John Groten is the managing director of PamGene and visiting professor at Wageningen University & Research. He is an experienced business leader with over 30 years of management experience in life science research companies. He sees his role as "a change manager to enhance quality, creativity, and business insights into organizations."
Menzo Havenga, PhD
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Menzo Havenga, PhD, is founder, president and CEO of Batavia Biosciences and Batavia Biopharma. He previously worked as the Managing Director of Biosciences Business at TNO and Vice President of Research and Development at Crucell, as well as holding a PhD in molecular virology from Leiden University.
COLLABORATIONS AND CONSORTIA
Partnerships play a dual role in our operations. In alignment with our vision, we work on projects that help adapt single-cell applications to diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Meanwhile, we access resources and experience that fuel our own evolution.
Careers
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Passionate about advancing biological understanding through the power of single-cell? Apply today to join the team.
