She received her Ph.D. from Wageningen University, where she studied the physiology of thermophilic syntrophic methanogenic communities. Since her Ph.D., she has become a staff member of the Laboratory of Microbiology at Wageningen University. Her main research interests are the physiology and biochemistry of anaerobic microorganisms. Her current interest is in microbial communities from anaerobic methanogenic ecosystems. She specializes in the interaction and communication in syntrophic communities.