Objective
Human infections with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are rising in the Netherlands and are classified among the zoonoses of highest current risk. Despite decades of investment in food safety surveillance, only about 40% of infections can be linked back to food, leaving the majority of infections without an identified source. This gap points to overlooked environmental pathways, particularly livestock reservoirs and contaminated surface waters, that remain poorly understood. My project will generate the first national, year-long dataset of STEC genomes from humans, underrepresented livestock, and surface waters, combining these data with case-control epidemiology to quantify the contribution of environmental exposures. By applying supervised machine-learning approaches to genomic data, I will be able to attribute infections to their sources with greater accuracy and identify risk factors tied to specific reservoirs rather than broad ecological associations. This integrated approach will move beyond piecemeal surveillance and instead provide a unified picture of how human, animal, and environmental compartments interact to sustain transmission. The results will provide evidence to inform water-quality standards, manure management, and farm biosecurity, while building a model of genomic attribution that can be integrated into national surveillance. In doing so, the fellowship aligns directly with European priorities on zoonotic disease preparedness and sustainable agriculture, ensuring that the outcomes will be relevant not only for the Netherlands but also for other countries facing similar risks. Through this work I aim to close the largest blind spot in STEC epidemiology in the Netherlands, producing insights that are directly relevant for public health policy, food safety, and One Health preparedness across Europe.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health epidemiology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3584 CS Utrecht
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.