Wouter Engelen

• I developed nanoscale molecular machines for future medical applications such as drug delivery, virus neutralization, molecular transporters and diagnostics. • To fund these research projects I successfully acquired a competitive personal research grant (see below). • (Lead/co)-inventor and author of 2 patent applications. • Supervisor of PhD and M.Sc. students. • Structural characterization of DNA origami objects using advanced cryogenic electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and Interferometric scattering microscopy/mass photometry. • In silico design and MD simulations of DNA origami • Analysis of complex data using custom written programs. • Manager of real-time PCR and spectrophotometric machines. • I appeared as a DNA origami field expert in C2W ("Origami met biomoleculen").

My PhD work mainly focussed on: • Development of molecular computing for diagnostics and therapeutics. • Antibody-based tumor cell profiling with single-cell resolution. • Integration of supramolecular polymers as organizing centers to control protein-protein interactions. • Lead author of 7 multidisciplinary projects successfully published in peer reviewed journals. • Supervisor of 4 M.Sc. and 1 B.Sc students. •Extensive dissemination of my work in more than 10 (international) conferences, biannual colloquia and weekly group meetings. Awarded 2 best poster awards (CHAINS2014 in Veldhoven and FDN2016 in Rome). • Excellent laboratory and analytical skills including protein expression, peptide and DNA synthesis and conjugation, chromatographic techniques, analytical techniques, and (fluorescence) microscopy. • Fitting and simulations of kinetic and thermodynamic data. • The results of my work has been covered by (inter)national news media such as C2W, WIRED, NU.nl and BNR. • Followed courses in: - Scientific integrity (PROOF, TU/e). - Scientific Skills (Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, TU/e), focus on writing, integrity and outreach in academic and industry environments. - Safe Microbiological Techniques (TU/e).

Internship at the School of Physics and Mathematical Sciences of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore to study the structure of a base excision repair mechanism intermediate. Focus on: Solid phase DNA synthesis and purification, analysis and visualization of multi-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data

Design and characterization of protein-DNA conjugates for DNA-directed control of enzyme-inhibitor complex formation to reversibly switch enzyme activity. Focus on: protein Engineering, protein-DNA conjugation, enzymology / enzyme kinetics.

Development of protein-lipid and peptide-lipid molecular tools to study membrane dynamics. Focus on protein engineering and expressed protein ligation, solid phase peptide synthesis and fatty acid conjugation.

• Supervising bachelor courses for 1st and 2nd year Biomedical Engineering students. Focus on: PCR / Restriction fragment analysis, gel electrophoresis / Western Blotting, Enzyme kinetics / enzyme-inhibitor characterization • Development of a protein based FRET sensor for cellular Zn²⁺ imaging. Focus on: molecular cloning, protein expression and purification / characterization