I am a Molecular Ecologist at the University of Amsterdam and specialize in interactions between plants and herbivores. My group is part of the department of "Evolutionary and Population Biology" at the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED, UvA) and I have two major research lines: (1) on the eco-physiology of plant-defense induction and suppression by herbivores i.e. predominantly spider mites and (2) on aligning plant physiology and biological control with the purpose of improving biological control. The overarching theme is crop protection, the main model plant is tomato and we approach both subthemes from a community ecology and evolutionary perspective by using tools ranging from molecular biology to behavioral biology.

For more information visit the website of my group: www.kantlab.org