Jeroen Dewulf studeerde af als dierenarts in 1998 aan de Faculteit Diergeneeskunde van de Universiteit Gent en behaalde zijn doctoraat aan dezelfde faculteit rond de epidemiologie en de controle van Klassieke Varkenspest in 2002. In datzelfde jaar behaalde hij zijn Masterdiploma in de Veterinaire Epidemiologie en Economie aan de Universiteit van Utrecht. Hij is tevens diplomat van de European College of Veterinary Public Health sinds 2005 en oprichter en voorzitter van de raad van bestuur van het kenniscentrum inzake antibioticagebruik en -resistentie bij dieren (AMCRA) in België. Sinds 2014 is Jeroen Dewulf hoogleraar in de Veterinaire Epidemiologie aan de Universiteit Gent.
In 2016 studeerde Nele Caekebeke af als dierenarts, afstudeerrichting Onderzoek aan de Faculteit Diergeneeskunde van de Universiteit Gent. Ze verdedigde haar doctoraat over de begeleiding van pluimvee- en varkenshouders naar een verbeterde infectiepreventie op hun bedrijven in 2021. Ze is lid van de lokale Ethische Commissie van de Faculteit Diergeneeskunde en bestuurslid van de Vlaamse Vereniging voor Veterinaire Epidemiologie en Economie. Ze geeft trainingen rond bioveiligheid in de varkens- en pluimveeproductie sinds 2018.
Sara Majid
Communications and Support Officer
Sara oversees communication tasks at Biocheck, which involves coordinating activities, handling digital media, creating social media campaigns, and supporting organizational tasks.
In addition to her MBA degree, Sara has extensive experience in conducting applied research as a former academic researcher. Her responsibilities included writing and reviewing academic papers, teaching, presenting at conferences, and attending workshops.
Biocheck Management Board
Dominiek Maes
Prof. dr. Dominiek Maes graduated as a veterinarian from Ghent University in 1993. He obtained a Master degree in Animal Production from Ghent University in 1995, a Master degree in Veterinary Epidemiology and Herd Health from Utrecht University (The Netherlands) in 1998, and a PhD in swine respiratory disease from Ghent University in 1998.
He has worked as a post-doc at the University of Minnesota (US). He became an associate professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 2003, at Ghent University, and a full professor in 2012. Since 2003, he has been the head of the Unit of Porcine Health Management. He has been the president of IPVS Belgian branch, the European College of Porcine Health Management, and the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation.
His research focuses on porcine health management, including production and reproduction. He is the coordinator of the VetCEE approved course “Vakdierenarts varken”, the post-graduate education programs related to porcine health management at the faculty, and the practice course “Reproduction and reproduction problems in pigs”.
Merel Postma
Dr. Merel Postma, a veterinarian, graduated from Utrecht University in 2010. She specialized in farm animals and veterinary public health. Her 2016 PhD thesis at Ghent University focused on "Antimicrobial usage in pig production." She led projects aiding pig farmers and contributed to "Minapig" and "i-4-1-health" projects. She became a European College of Veterinary Public Health diplomate in 2017. Merel is involved in the "DISARM" project's external advisory board and served as an External Expert on African Swine fever for the European Food Safety Authority.
In 2016 she made a transition to the corporate business, besides still being part of the Veterinary Epidemiology unit of Ghent University. Merel is the Manager Chain Quality at Livar. Merel published the results of her studies in international journals, contributed to the book “Biosecurity in animal production and veterinary medicine” and presented her research findings all over the world.
Sven Arnouts
As a Business Developer Dr. Ir. Sven Arnouts coordinates intellectual property and technology transfer of PROVAXS, a consortium of laboratories of Ghent University in Belgium that combine their expertise in prophylaxis and vaccine development.
He graduated in 1990 as a Bio-engineer in animal breeding and cell and gene technology. In 1994 he obtained his PhD in avian growth physiology and immunology at the University of Leuven on an industrial project in collaboration with Solvay-Duphar. From 1994 to 2006 he was the global R&D Manager of Agriculture at INVE where he was responsible for research activities in animal nutrition for pigs, poultry, and ruminants with a special focus on the relation between nutrition and health.
He also has hands-on experience with the preparatory track and the foundation of spin-offs/start-ups.