LAB MEMBERS

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Maria J. Rodriguez Colman, Principal Investigator and Associate Professor

Bachelor’s degree in Biology, University of Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
PhD in Biomedical Sciences, University of Lleida, Catalunya, Spain

I am an enthusiastic scientist always open for a new challenge. I have studied cellular metabolism, mitochondria and cell signalling in plants, yeast and mammalian models. Currently in my group, we investigate the role of metabolism in the regulation of stem cells, differentiation and in cancer.

Think big, Commit to it and Enjoy the Ride!

m.j.rodriguezcolman at umcutrecht.nl

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Nguyen Nguyen, PhD candidate

Since my studies at Leiden University, I have been intrigued by how cancer cells rewire their metabolism to sustain high proliferation, migration, invasion and immune escape. Especially I am interested in molecular mechanisms underlying how these metabolic modifications impact on cell function and cell identity. In our lab, we have established a live cell imaging approach to track metabolic dynamics during organoid development. Our aim is to investigate the contribution of metabolism to stem cell function and to study the metabolic interactions taking place within cells in the tumour. Our research contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms of cancer cell plasticity and tumor heterogeneity.

T.B.N.Nguyen-9 at umcutrecht.nl

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Lotte Burgering, PhD candidate

Hi! I am Lotte and I am a PhD student in the Rodriguez Colman lab! I did my Master’s at Utrecht University and spend my final year working on metabolism in the lab of M. Vander Heiden (MIT, Cambridge). There, I fell in love with how very fundamental cellular processes like metabolism can drastically impact how cells are behaving. I am very excited to continue working on metabolism in Maria’s lab. I will mostly focus on how environmental and cell-intrinsic metabolic factors affect cellular identity and differentiation. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy playing field hockey, sailing, ice skating and baking cakes, and of course, drinking coffee to go with said cakes and boost that metabolism!!

L.M.Burgering-3 at umcutrecht.nl

Sira Gevers, Technician

I’m Sira and I am the lab technician of the Rodriguez Colman Lab. Before starting my work here, I finished my bachelor’s Lifesciences at the Hogeschool Utrecht. For my graduation internship, I worked in Rodriguez Colman Lab as well. I was asked to stick around as a technician afterwards, to which I happily agreed. When I am not working in the lab I like to spend my time reading fantasy books or playing videogames. Sometimes I like to dabble in some kind of creative hobby however, the type changes every month.

S.Gevers-2 at umcutrecht.nl

Jurica Matkovic, PhD candidate

My name is Jurica and I am a PhD student in Rodriguez Colman group. I did my master’s in Croatia and was working on the formation of mitotic spindle and pathways that can lead to aneuploidy. Here at the UMC I’m studying metabolic fluctuations in mitosis and consequences of altered metabolism on cell division. I mostly spend my free time in the nature and with friends, but a good movie will do the job when the weather is bad.

J.Matkovic at umcutrecht.nl

Rutger Kok, Research analist

Hi, my name is Rutger, the bioinformatician of the group! I’m the original developer of OrganoidTracker, a single-cell tracker that we use for organoids. I also do (sc)RNAseq analysis and other bioinformatics stuff. I’m fascinated by self-assembly, and how often simple rules lead to complex cellular structures, like healthy tissue or life-threatening cancer tumors.

rkok7 at umcutrecht.nl

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Arjan Bassa, PhD Candidate

Hi! My name is Arjan and I am a PhD student in the Rodriguez Colman lab. I studied Biomedical Sciences in Utrecht and become interested in cancer and metabolism right from the first year of my Bachelor. It fascinates me that cancer cells have a notably rewired metabolism that supports not only cell proliferation but can also contribute to therapy resistance. In my spare time I love to hang out with friends or go out in nature, otherwise a good coffee, music or a book will enjoy me.

A.J.Bassa-2 at umcutrecht.nl

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Mattia Marinucci, Postdoc

Hi! I’m Mattia, and I joined the Rodriguez Colman group in June 2025. I’m currently conducting my postdoctoral research at UMC Utrecht, supported by the Swiss SNF Postdoc Mobility Fellowship. I’ve built my scientific career around translational oncology, with a particular focus on colorectal and hepatocellular cancers. Over the years, I’ve worked with patient-derived organoids and in vivo models to uncover molecular vulnerabilities and develop ad-hoc therapeutic strategies.

At the Center for Molecular Medicine, I’m investigating the metabolic and molecular mechanisms that drive drug tolerance and relapse in metastatic colorectal cancer models.

Outside the lab, I enjoy mountain biking (I miss the Swiss trails!), singing and wrapping up a good jam session with a well-earned pint!

m.marinucci at umcutrecht.nl

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Giacomo Broglia, Master’s Student

Ciao! I’m Giacomo, a master’s student doing a 10 months internship in the Rodriguez Colman Lab. Before moving to the Netherlands, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Genomics at the University of Bologna, and I am currently enrolled in the Bioinformatics and Systems Biology master’s program at Vrije Univerisiteit Amsterdam. Previously, I worked as junior bioinformatician in a environmental microbiology lab, but my focus has now shifted towards cancer research. At the CMM, I will explore whether chromosomal instability (CIN) signatures be reliably inferred from single-cell RNA sequencing data, and how do these relate to the metabolic states of tumor cells.

Outside the lab, I love watching films, cooking and playing football!

G.Broglia at umcutrecht.nl

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