Noud Hermans is a PhD candidate with a background in molecular biology. He holds an MSc in molecular biology and has a strong interest in both genome sequencing technologies and bioinformatics-driven data analysis.

He is conducting his PhD research under the supervision of Prof. Constanze Schultsz, with co-supervision from Dr. Kristin Kremer and Dr. Richard Anthony. His PhD work is embedded within the KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) within KNCV’s Dreamfund project.

Noud’s PhD project focuses on the utility of Nanopore sequencing for drug susceptibility testing and molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. His research evaluates whether Nanopore sequencing is suitable and performs comparably to Illumina sequencing for these applications, and explores whether the long-read nature of Nanopore sequencing provides added value for tuberculosis genomics.

At RIVM, Noud works with state-of-the-art Nanopore and Illumina sequencing platforms and is actively involved in sequencing data generation and analysis. While the main part of his research is conducted in the Netherlands, he also travels internationally to provide training and support capacity-building activities.

Through his PhD, Noud aims to validate and improve current sequencing workflows to enhance tuberculosis genomics. His work seeks to support the implementation of Nanopore sequencing in low- and low- to middle-income countries, where accessible and rapid sequencing technologies are needed most. Ultimately, he hopes his research will help convince researchers and clinicians that sequencing is a key diagnostic tool for the future of tuberculosis control.