The Group Current and Past members
The MayerLab
We are the Molecular Evolution research group at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. We represent a small yet awesome group of PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate students with a passion for applying and repurposing the Darwinian algorithm.
In practice, we make use of biological selections to identify tailored biomolecules from vast populations of modified bacteriophages or recoded bacteria. We like our approaches as they rely on our creativity and problem-solving skills to overcome the myriad of challenges we face, when trying to repurpose the Darwinian algorithm.
We also celebrate our successes, go together through failures, and overall, try to have a good time inside and outside of the lab.
Current group members
Clemens Mayer
still looking for a job title
Clemens obtained his Master in Biotechnology (2009) from Graz University of Technology. After completing his PhD at ETH Zurich with Don Hilvert (2014), he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge with Sir Shankar Balasubramanian (2014-2016) and the University of Groningen with Gerard Roelfes (2016-2018). In October 2018, Clemens was appointed first as Assistant and in 2023 as Associate Professor at the Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, where he leads the Molecular Evolution group.
Titia Rixt Oppewal
PhD student
Titia obtained her BSc from University College Utrecht in 2015. She then continued to study Chemistry at Leiden University (2017), and subsequently moved to the University of Strasbourg for her MSc in Chemical Biology (2019). Her first Master research project was in supramolecular chemistry, after which she moved to Groningen to work on photocatalysis using artificial metalloenzymes. Titia joined the Mayer lab as PhD student in September 2019. Outside of the lab she spends most of her time climbing, reading, or playing games with friends.
Suzanne C. Jansen
PhD student
Suzanne obtained her BSc in Life Science and Technology (cum laude, 2018) and Msc in Biomolecular Sciences (summa cum laude, 2021) the University of Groningen. Her Master research projects focused on "controlling the yeast cell cycle via the optogenetic dynamic perturbation of cAMP levels" and "the synthesis and characterization of a novel carbohydrate and its utilization by probiotic bacteria". Suzanne joined the Mayer lab as PhD student in February 2022. In her free time she enjoys making music, bouldering, and watching movies
João Maehara Said dos Reis
PhD student
João earned both his BSc in Chemical Engineering (2018) and his MSc in Biotechnology (2022) from the University of São Paulo. For his Master's research project, he focused on developing a biotechnological process for producing threonine. He also worked in the Sao Paulo State Institute for Technological Research (IPT) for 7 years in the areas of bioprocess development, metabolic engineering, and DNA Data Storage. João joined the MayerLab as a PhD student in July 2024. He is passionate about traveling and loves to study languages, science, and economics.
Hui Li
PhD student
Hui obtained his BSc from Northwest A&F University in 2017 (Bioengineering) and his MSc from QIBEBT, CAS in 2020 (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology). Before moving to Groningen in November 2022, he worked on genome editing, metabolic engineering and microbial physiology. In the first part of his PhD, Hui focused on expanding the structural diversity of lanthipeptides. In July 2022, he joined the Mayer Lab to identify hybrid macrocyclic peptide binders by phage display. Outside of the lab, Hui likes reading and plays table tennis in a club.
Ivar Jansen
PhD student
Ivar completed both his BSc (2021) and MSc (2024) in Chemistry at the University of Groningen. During his MSc, his research projects focused on the regioselective glycosylation of complex carbohydrates and the stabilization of protein trimers using INCYPRO. In September 2024, Ivar joined the MayerLab as a PhD student, returning to the group where he had previously completed his BSc thesis. He is currently working on the selection of peptide catalysts via phage display. Outside the lab, Ivar enjoys playing football, tennis, and making music.
Marit Toxopeus
PhD student
Marit obtained her BSc in Life Science & Technology (2022) and MSc in Biomolecular Sciences (2025) from the University of Groningen. For her Master's research, she worked on developing a synthetic predator-prey system in yeast using small-scale bioreactors. Marit joined the Mayer lab as a PhD student in May 2025. When not in the lab, she likes to spend her time playing the piano, practicing Latin dance or exploring new places with friends.
Louisa Lehmann
PhD student
Louisa obtained her BSc (2022) and MSc (2025) in Molecular Biotechnology from Bielefeld University. During her Bachelor's studies, she was a member of the iGEM team CeBiTec Bielefeld, where she developed a biosensor for detecting chemical weapon degradation products. For her Master's thesis, she joined the Church Lab at Harvard Medical School, working on engineering precise base editors using PANCE & protein language model predictions. Louisa joined the MayerLab as a PhD student in September 2025. Outside of the lab, Louisa enjoys crocheting and collecting plants.
Judith Beaujean
PhD Student
Judith completed both her BSc (2023) and MSc (2026) in Biochemistry at Bielefeld University, specialising in Chemical Biology for the Master’s. During this time, she undertook internships at Bayer AG and at the University of Graz. Her Master’s thesis focused on the evelopment and cellular characterization of an αVβ6-integrin-targeting PDC. Judith joined the Mayer Lab as a PhD student in October 2026. In her free time Judith enjoys swimming, scuba diving, walking in the countryside or spending time in botanical gardens.
MayerLab alumni
PhD students & Postdocs
Felix Kaspar (2024-2025) Group Leader at Saarland University
Ana Rita Oliveira (2024-2025) Senior Portein Engineer @CarboCode
Titia Rixt Oppewal (2019-2024) Senior Scientist @Gecco Biotech
Rudy Rubini (2018-2023) Senior Scientist @Peptone
Undergraduate Researchers
Emil Catar (2026), Guest student researcherAlessia Pearson (2025-2026), Exchange Student
Fabian Dobos (2025-2026), Honours College Project & BSc Thesis
Hoite Geerdes (2026), BSc Thesis
Alexas Antanavicius (2026), BSc Thesis
Anjali Sital, BSc thesis (2025)
Andrei Sorescu, BSc thesis (2025)
Ingrid Budau, MSc thesis (2024)
Pauline van Beers, BSc thesis (2024)
Tristan van der Beek, Honours College Project & BSc Thesis (2023-2025)
Ada Ozgirin, Honours College Project (2023)
Olaf Muskee, MSc thsis (2023)
Emiel Broekman, BSc thesis (2023)
Tim Ziegelmeier, Internship from TU Munich (2022)
Siem Pauws, BSc thesis (2022)
Ivar Jansen, BSc thesis (2021)
Houdijn Beekhuis, MSc thesis (2020-2021)
Anthony Kromodimedjo, BSc thesis (2020)
Mark Folkertsma, BSc thesis (2021)
Ilya Ivanov, MSc thesis (2019)