Floor de Weijer
Research areas of interest: Vaccinology, Immunology, Parasitic infections, Vaccine responses, Data visualization
Affiliation(s)
Leiden University Medical Center | Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases
Education and Research background
I have a multidisciplinary background combining human biology, biomedical engineering, and software development. My academic journey began with a Bachelor’s in Human Movement Sciences, which laid the foundation for my interest in understanding the human body. I built on this with a Research Master’s in the same field, where I studied muscle growth in vitro, investigating how it is influenced by stretch and shear stress. This sparked my fascination with how the body adapts to its environment. To deepen my knowledge further and gain more technical expertise in the biomedical domain, I pursued a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering. During this time, I developed a passion for creating digital tools to visualize and simplify complex data. For my research internship, I worked with 3D liver organoids, which we reintroduced into the extracellular matrix to examine the role of the matrix in the development of liver cancer.
After my studies, I worked as a software developer, where I expanded my programming skills and gained experience in developing software solutions, creating web applications, working with databases, and managing server infrastructure using tools like Docker.
My work on immune responses to vaccines
In my role as a Data Engineer at LUCID, I support research into immune responses to vaccines by ensuring data is well-managed, structured, and standardized. I build systems and tools, including interactive dashboards, that enable researchers to analyse large, complex datasets. By ensuring data is reusable, accessible, and interoperable, I make it ready for valuable insights into vaccine efficacy.
Our research addresses global vaccine challenges, such as hyporesponsiveness in some low- and middle-income countries. To improve vaccine performance worldwide, we aim to identify the factors driving these differences in immune responses. Although not directly involved in lab experiments, I make sure that the data is organized and accessible enabling researchers to identify these key factors. Being part of this process—turning raw data into actionable knowledge—fits perfectly with my passion for combining technical expertise with meaningful scientific research.
beyond research
Outside of work, I enjoy activities that blend adventure with problem-solving. Whether it’s climbing peaks, exploring new trails, or unwinding with a challenging puzzle or board game, I’m always up for a new challenge.