During my master studies in Biomedical Sciences at UGent, I gained my first research experiences in the lab of Prof. Leybaert, where I developed lab skills in protein biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology. After graduating in 2010, I joined the lab of Prof. Speleman, and started a PhD, supported by a FWO PhD fellowship grant on prognostic DNA methylation biomarker research for neuroblastoma. During my PhD, I improved my wet- and dry-lab skills, focusing on PCR and sequencing-based methodologies. Supported by a personal grant of the Flemish League against Cancer, I finalized my PhD end 2016, which resulted in 5 first author articles and 1 additional article that I co-authored, all published in peer reviewed and top quartile journals. After my PhD, I shifted gears and started focusing on the analysis of extracellular RNA in liquid biopsies in a pan-cancer study approach. In 2016, I obtained a bridge fund from my faculty to start my postdoctoral career in the lab of Prof. Vandesompele, and currently hold a postdoctoral fellowship from UGent-BOF. During my postdoctoral years, I gained experiences in managing large scale multidisciplinary projects, writing award and grant applications, and guiding/evaluating several bachelor, master and doctoral students. Recently, I co-authored several articles, including the very first liquid biopsy biomarker study of our lab. These results were also patented and covered in the press, and we won the prestigious Antoine Faes award.