Bio

Jean-Marc Taymans obtained first a Masters in Bioengineering from the KU Leuven (Belgium, 1994) as well as a diploma in International Relations from the UCLouvain (Belgium, 1995). After working as a vaccine process engineer at SmithKline-Beecham Biologicals (1995-1999, Belgium), he began his doctoral research via Doctoral Research School Neurosciences Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in the research labs of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development (Belgium). After defending his PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in 2004, Dr. Taymans joined the KU Leuven as researcher (FWO) to study the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) genes (2004-2014), including a scientific exchange as a Fulbright scholar at the National Institutes of Health (USA, 2009-2010). In 2014-16, he was awarded international mobility fellowships and a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship to join the UMR-S 1172 research center in Lille (France), a mixed Inserm – Université de Lille – Lille University Hospital center. In 2017, he was appointed associate Professor in Neuroscience at the Université de Lille (France). His research continues to focus on studying cell signaling processes in PD while integrating clinical translation of experimental findings from patient biosamples. With a strong focus on LRRK2, Dr. Taymans’s research uses a multidisciplinary approach, from biochemical analysis and cellular models to validation in preclinical models.