The consortium is made up of 21 leading scientists in their field, and their respective PhDs and postdocs contributing to the IMAGINE! project, based at 8 different Dutch institutes.
Together they form an expert team with a diverse and extensive knowledge background including optogenetics, organoid research, cellular dynamics, oncology, DNA-segregation, drug delivery, biosensor development, organic chemistry, engineering of optical microscopes, data visualisation and analysis.

For the realisation of the project the consortium was awarded a Gravitation grant (“zwaartekracht” in Dutch), funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Dutch government via the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for 10 years (October 2022 – September 2032).

Participating institutes:

The Executive Board
The executive board, led by Anna Akhmanova, consists of 6 PIs who together manage the project:

a.akhmanova@uu.nl
Utrecht University (Cell Biology)

j.v.rheenen@nki.nl
Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam

l.kapitein@uu.nl
Utrecht University (Biophysics)

peter.friedl@radboudumc.nl
Radboudumc, Nijmegen (Oncology)

M.M.Maurice@umcutrecht.nl
UMCU, Utrecht (Cell Biology)

g.kops@hubrecht.eu
Hubrecht Institute, Oncode Institute, Utrecht


Other PIs of the consortium

f.eduati@tue.nl
Eindhoven University of Technology (Biomedical Engineering)

m.w.j.prins@tue.nl
Eindhoven University of Technology (Biomedical Engineering)

A.C.Rios@prinsesmaximacentrum.nl
Princess Máxima Centre, Utrecht
Training Panel

J.Beekman@umcutrecht.nl
UMCU, Utrecht (Pulmonology)
Training Panel

S.Stallinga@tudelft.nl
TU Delft (Imaging Physics)

i.v.smal@uu.nl
Utrecht University (Biophysics)

Annemiek.vanspriel@radboudumc.nl
Radboudumc, Nijmegen (Oncology)

R.Masereeuw@uu.nl
Utrecht University (Pharmacology)

C.S.Smith@tudelft.nl
TU Delft (Imaging Physics)

h.j.g.snippert@umcutrecht.nl
UMCU, Utrecht

m.verdoes1@lumc.nl
LUMC, Leiden (Chemical Immunology)

S.J.L.vandenHeuvel@uu.nl
Utrecht University (Dev. Biology)

A.M.de.Jong@tue.nl
Eindhoven University of Technology (Biomedical Engineering)

s.mihaila@uu.nl
Utrecht University (Pharmacology)
Training Panel


Scientific Advisory Board
Our Scientific Advisory Board is composed of internationally acclaimed scientists in their fields who support us with valuable feedback throughout the project.

KI & KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
(Imaging Technologies)

Janelia Research Campus, (VA) USA
(4D Cell Microscopy)

USC, (LA) USA
(Imaging Technologies & Quantitative Biology)

IGC, Portugal
(Tissue Cell Biology)

FMI, Switzerland
(Multicellular Systems and Quantitative Imaging)
Early Career Researchers
PhD students

m.d.m.e.linssen@tue.nl
Prins & de Jong Labs, TU/e

f.c.w.turlings@lumc.nl
Verdoes Lab, LUMC

Stallinga Lab, TUD

Kops Lab, Hubrecht

t.b.makaske@uu.nl
Kapitein Lab, UU


g.n.ithakisiou-2@umcutrecht.nl Beekman Lab, UMCU

annemarie.berends@radboudumc.nl Friedl Lab, RUMC

s.l.bosman-8@umcutrecht.nl
Maurice Lab, UMCU

t.v.maanen@nki.nl
van Rheenen Lab, NKI

r.a.degroot@uu.nl
Masereeuw Lab, UU

D.Kokkinidi-2@umcutrecht.nl
Maurice Lab, UMCU

Smith Lab, TUD

v.j.w.hellebrekers@uu.nl
Smal Lab, UU

b.wang6@tue.nl
Eduati lab, TU/e

n.a.pagani@uu.nl
Akhmanova lab, UU

s.deblank-3@prinsesmaximacentrum.nl
Rios lab, PMC



Postdocs

v.s.m.k.yelleswarapu@tue.nl
Eduati Lab, TU/e

j.b.passmore@uu.nl
Kapitein Lab, UU

j.c.m.meiring@uu.nl
Akhmanova Lab, UU

Snippert Lab, UMCU

Friedl Lab, RUMC

f.Berto@tudelft.nl
Smith Lab, TUD

j.m.deamildacostajacobramalho@uu.nl
van den Heuvel, UU

v.tiroille@hubrecht.eu
Kops Lab, Hubrecht

h.schoofs@nki.nl
van Rheenen Lab, NKI



Affiliated members
Bahar Arik
b.arik@umcutrecht.nl
Beekman Lab, UMCU
Emma van Grinsven
e.j.vangrinsven@uu.nl
Akhmanova Lab, UU
Layla Nasr
layla.nasr@radboudumc.nl
Friedl Lab, RUMC
Ben Bouchet
b.p.j.bouchet@uu.nl
Akhmanova Lab, UU
Anne Meetje van Genderen
a.m.vangenderen@uu.nl
Masereeuw Lab, UU
Alfredo Soriano
a.ratessoriano@uu.nl
Kapitein Lab, UU
Liam Cools
l.p.l.cools@student.tudelft.nl
Smith Lab, TUD
Dimitri Kromm
d.kromm@tudelft.nl
Smith Lab, TUD
Albert Serweta
a.k.serweta@uu.nl
Kapitein Lab, UU
Support Team

imagine@uu.nl
Coordinator

Finance Controller


Alumni and former members
Tijmen Herdink, PhD (2023 – 2024)
Eike Mahlandt, postdoc (2023 – 2024)
Wei Zhao, postdoc (2023 – 2024)
Portrait Photos by Elly Soltani (PIs portrait photos) and Malina Iwanski and Jey McCaughey.