I am pursuing a PhD in the Department of Evolutionary and Population Biology and NIOZ. I have the privilege of working closely with two esteemed scientists, Prof. Dr. A (Anja) Spang as my supervisor, and Prof. Dr. A.T. (Astrid) Groot as thesis advisor. With their expertise and guidance, I am dedicating my time and efforts to investigate the functional potential and (eco-)evolutionary role of DPANN archaea and their role in host diversification through symbiont-host interactions, using a combination of computational approaches, cultivation, microscopy and experimental evolution.