Eveline Peeters

Eveline Peeters is professor in the Department of Bioengineering Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), where she leads the Research Group of Microbiology (MICR).⁠⁠ She studied Bioengineering Sciences at the VUB and obtained her PhD in Bioengineering Sciences at the same university, performing research on the molecular mechanisms of transcription regulation in extremophilic archaea under the mentorship of Daniël Charlier, with a focus on unravelling protein-DNA interactions. During and after her doctoral training she carried out research stays with other archaeal researchers at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (Netherlands), Université Paris-Sud (France) and Institut Pasteur (France). In 2014 she became an assistant professor in the Research Group of Microbiology and started leading an independent research team in molecular and synthetic microbiology. Her team works at the interface of molecular and synthetic microbiology, probing how extremophilic archaea, bacteria and fungi sense and adapt to environmental changes, with a long-standing interest in transcription regulators and their use in synthetic biology. Using model organisms such as Sulfolobus and Haloferax, the group combines fundamental research on gene regulation with application-driven work, engineering microbial cell factories for the sustainable production of chemicals and materials, including a cross-disciplinary focus on mycelium-based biomaterials. This research is motivated by the transition from a classical petrochemical to a biobased industry. Beyond her research, she is strongly committed to education and to nurturing an inclusive research environment, and she served as chair of the Belgian Society for Microbiology (BSM) Board of Directors from 2019 until 2024.

Archaea were once hidden, until the pioneering work of Carl Woese in the 1970s revealed them as a domain of life separate from the bacteria. This discovery initiated a paradigm shift on the tree of life: we gained new insights into how early life diversified, how cells evolved complexity and even how eukaryotic organisms ultimately emerged. Today, archaeal phylogenetics is being reshaped by the discovery of novel archaeal phyla such as the Asgard archaea, whose genomes encode biological characteristics that appear strikingly connected to the origin of eukaryotic cells. At the same time, archaea are extraordinary examples of biological innovation and demonstrate how life is possible in the most extreme conditions. Sulfolobus thrives in hot acidic springs, Haloferax flourishes in hypersaline waters and other archaeal species survive under extremes of temperature, pressure, acidity, salinity and energy limitation. These lifestyles reveal how flexible life can be and help define the limits of habitability on Earth and possibly beyond. They also offer powerful opportunities for biotechnology, including thermostable biomolecules (for example, enzymes or lipids), bioremediation or sustainable production of chemicals and materials (for example, bioplastics). Archaea therefore connect the ancient history of life with some of the most urgent scientific and technological challenges of the future.