Professor Alexandra Zhernakova
Professor Alexandra Zhernakova
Full Professor of the Human Genome and Exposome
University Medical Center Groningen
Alexandra Zhernakova is Professor of Genome and Exposome in Department of Genetics, UMCG, and has a strong track records in genetics of immune disorders, and in the analysis of the gut microbiome.
Her group is focused on understanding the complex interaction of host genetics, environmental factors and intestinal bacteria in relation to aging, autoimmune diseases, gut and metabolic health. Her group have performed several large metagenomics studies in Dutch population cohorts and identified more than 100 factors playing a role in shaping the human gut microbiome.
She is also leading the MiBioGen consortium – an international consortium aiming at understanding the role of genetics in microbiome composition. She is involved in organization of the Lifelines-NEXT cohort: a prospective cohort of 1500 babies born from participants of Lifelines.
Her research is funded by the ERC starting grant for studying the development of gut virome and microbiome in babies; a VIDI grant from Dutch Scientific Society for the studies of breast milk microbiome in Lifelines-NEXT, and is a PI in the Gravitation grant ExposomeNL, which explores the role of environment and microbiome in human health.
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