A group of six people standing on a grassy lawn, smiling, and holding drinks, with trees and a building in the background.
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Group of people smiling and posing for a photo at a Christmas market or festive outdoor event during the evening, with Christmas decorations and lights visible in the background.
Group picture of the Symbiose Lab at UMONS
Group picture at the Symbiose Lab at Antwerp
Marine Luciano and Eléonore Vercruysse from the Symbiose Lab at UMONS
Symbiose Lab group picture during Christmas
Group picture at the Symbiose Lab at Antwerp

Our lab team : current lab members and alumni

Principal Investigator

  • Sylvain Gabriele SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Sylvain GABRIELE, PhD

    Sylvain was originally trained as a polymer physico-chemist, focusing on the dynamics of confined polymer chains. After his PhD, he shifted his scientific interests toward cell mechanobiology and joined Aix-Marseille University (France) as a CNRS postdoctoral fellow, where he worked with Olivier Théodoly on the deformation of immune cells squeezed within microfluidic devices. He then joined the Kevin Kit Parker’s lab at Harvard University (USA), where he investigated neuronal mechanics using magnetic tweezers. His research interests now span integrative tissue dynamics, cytoskeletal mechanics, and nuclear mechanotransduction. Sylvain established his research group at the University of Mons (Belgium) in 2011 and was appointed Associate Professor in 2016. He was a Visiting Professor in Beth Pruitt’s lab at Stanford University (USA) in 2017, and later in Tsuyoshi Hirashima’s lab at the Mechanobiology Institute in Singapore in 2023. He is currently President of the Research Institute for Biosciences at the University of Mons. In 2025, he was awarded the Francqui Research Professorship (2025–2028), and he is also a Nikon Europe Ambassador for Advanced 3D Imaging in Mechanobiology.

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Postdoctoral Researchers & Research Scientists

  • Marine Luciano UMONS SYMBIOSE Lab

    Marine LUCIANO, PhD

    Chargée de Recherches FNRS

    Marine has developed photopolymerized corrugated hydrogels to investigate the role of the substrate curvature in epithelial mechanics. She works on the dynamic modulation of the matrix curvature in epithelial systems.

    > Internship in the Discher’s lab at UPENN (USA) > Postdoc research associate in Aurélien Roux lab at University of Geneva (Switzerland) > Postdoctoral visiting in the Tsuyoshi Hirashima’s lab at MBI (Singapore) > Postdoctoral visiting in the Sarah Heilshorn’s lab at Stanford University (USA)

  • Marie Versaevel SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Marie VERSAEVEL, PhD

    Postdoctoral Researcher (Win2Wal project)

    Marie reproduces the complex architecture of complex tissues such as the skin with 3D soft hydrogels of precise and controlled physico-chemical properties. She has a strong interest in the dynamics of epithelial tissues and nuclear mechanics.

  • Danahe Mohammed SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Danahe MOHAMMED, PhD

    Chargée de Recherches FNRS at ULB

    Danahe is co-supervised with Prof Maud Martin at Laboratory of Neurovascular Signaling (ULB). She works on the role of microtubules in endothelial cell morphogenesis using microtubule targeting agents.

    > Internship: Charras' group at UCLondon (UK)
    > Posdoc research associate: Weitz's lab (Harvard, USA) and Alsteen's lab (Louvain, BE)

  • Amandine Deridoux SYMBIOSE Lab IBEC UMONS

    Amandine Deridoux, PhD

    Postdoctoral Researcher (Interreg ANTIRESI)

    Amandine designs complex viscoelastic hydrogels incorporating nanocomposite fillers to create biomaterials with antibacterial properties that promote bone regeneration.

  • Sarra ZAGHBOUNI

    Research Scientist (Interreg MICROPLAITE)

    Sarra focuses on the development and characterization of microfluidic platforms to investigate the behavior of next-generation biomaterials promoting tissue regeneration.

Graduate students (PhD track)

  • Maxime Mansy SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Maxime MANSY

    FNRS Research Fellow
    Co-supervised with Mathieu Surin

    Maxime works on the development of DNA-based supramolecular responsive hydrogels for studying cell mechanobiology.

  • Lucie Ergot SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS Cell Confinement

    Lucie ERGOT

    FRIA PhD Researcher

    Lucie investigates the impact of severe compressive forces on the nuclei of healthy mammary epithelial cells to determine whether mechanical compression can initiate tumorigenesis.

    > Internship in the Pierre Nassoy’s lab at the University of Bordeaux (France)

  • Zoé BARBIER SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Zoé BARBIER

    FRIA PhD Researcher
    Co-supervised with Marine Luciano.

    Zoé studies the collective behavior of epithelial cells on corrugated hydrogels to elucidate how local curvature regulates collective epithelial migration via modulation of ERK signaling waves.

    > Internship in the Tsuyoshi Hirashima’s lab at the Mechanobiology Institute (Singapore)

  • Roxane Aucouturier SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS Mechanobiology

    Roxane AUCOUTURIER

    PhD Researcher (Win2Wal)

    As a bioengineer, Roxane aims to design hydrogel-based scaffolds to create advanced in vitro 3D human skin models. To this aim, Roxane develops photo-crosslinked gelatin hydrogels (GelMA) with complex physico-chemical properties.

  • Amber DELBROEK SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS Mechanobiology Neuromechanics

    Amber DELBROEK

    Co-supervised with Bert Brône
    (Hasselt University)

    Amber investigates the relationship between cytoskeleton organization and microglial migration. Her approach will identify functional pathways that are evolutionarily conserved to control essential cytoskeletal rearrangements in phagocytic/macrophage-like cells, including microglia and hemocytes.

  • Rémi TRANZER SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS curvature mechanobiology

    Rémi TRANZER

    FRIA PhD candidate
    Co-supervised with Marine Luciano

    Rémi investigate the effet of the dynamic modulation of the curvature of epithelial tissues using a cutting-edge microsystem. He would like to determine how matrix curvature changes can modulate the fluidity of epithelial tissues.

Master Students

  • Evan Castiau SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Evan CASTIAU

    Co-supervised with Marine Luciano

    Evan studies the behavior of minimal epithelial tissues on adhesive micropatterns to understand the emergence of collective behavior in epithelial systems.

  • Stefania SCIACCA Mechanobiology & Biomaterials Lab UMONS

    Stefania SCIACCA

    Co-supervised with Mathieu Surin
    Eunice student University of Catania (Italy)

    Stefania comes from the Satriano's lab at the University of Catania and studies the behavior of DNA-coated nanoparticles on the behaviour of tumoral epithelial cells.

PhD Alumni

  • Yohalie KALUKULA SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS Mechanobiology

    Yohalie KALUKULA, PhD

    PhD Thesis in 2025 (FRIA)

    > Currently Postdoc in the Benoit Ladoux Lab (Max Plank - Erlangen)

  • Amandine DERIDOUX SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Amandine DERIDOUX, PhD

    PhD Thesis in 2025 (FRIA)

    > Currently Postdoctoral Associate in the SYMBIOSE Lab - UMONS

  • Anthony PROCES Mechanobiology & Biomaterials Lab UMONS

    Giuseppe CICCONE, PhD

    PhD Thesis in 2024 (Glasgow)

    > Currently Life Science Consultant Felix (Barcelona, Spain)

  • Alexandre Remson SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Alexandre REMSON, PhD

    PhD Thesis in 2024 (FRIA)

    > Currently Lecturer at a University of Applied Sciences (Belgium)

  • Anthony Procès SYMBIOSE Lab Neuromechanics

    Anthony PROCES, PhD

    PhD Thesis in 2022 (FRIA)

    > Currently Postdoctoral Researcher in the Frédéric Saudou’s Lab in Grenoble (France)

  • Eléonore Vercruysse SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS cell migration

    Eléonore Vercruysse, PhD

    PhD Thesis in 2022 (FRIA)

    > Internship in the Xavier Trepat’s lab at IBEC in Barcelona (Spain)

  • Marine Luciano SYMBIOSE Lab curvature Mechanobiology bioengineering

    Marine LUCIANO, PhD

    PhD Thesis in 2021 (FRIA)

    > Internship in the Denis Discher’s lab at UPENN in Philadelphia (USA)

  • Céline Bruyère SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS muscle cells myoblasts

    Céline BRUYERE

    PhD Thesis in 2019 (FRIA)

    > Internship in the Jan Lammerding’s Lab at Cornell University in Ithaca (USA)

  • Laura Alaimo SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS microfluidics

    Laura ALAIMO

    PhD student in 2019 (FRIA)

    > Internship in the Pascal Silberzan’s lab at Institut Curie in Paris (France)

  • Danahe Mohammed SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS cell migration confinement

    Danahe MOHAMMED

    PhD Thesis in 2018 (FRIA)

    > Internship in the Guillaume Charras’ lab at UCL in London (UK)

    > Visiting in the Beth Pruitt’s lab at Stanford University (USA)

  • Josephine Lantoine SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS neuromechanics

    Joséphine LANTOINE

    PhD Thesis in 2017 (FRIA)

    > Internship in the Stephanie Lacour’s lab et EPFL (Switzerland)

    > Internship in the Blaise Yvert’s lab at CEA Grenoble (France)

  • Maryam Riaz SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS cell migration keratocytes

    Maryam RIAZ, PhD

    PhD Thesis in 2015 (FNRS)

    > Internship in the Paul Janmey’s lab at UPENN in Philadelphia (USA)

  • Thomas Grevesse SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS neuromechanics

    Thomas GREVESSE, PhD

    PhD Thesis in 2014 (FRIA)

    > Internship in the Atef Asnacios’ lab at MSC in Paris (France)

  • Marie Versaevel SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Marie VERSAEVEL

    PhD Thesis in 2012 (FRIA)

Master Alumni (non-PhD track)

  • Corentin VERHOEYEN

    Master Thesis in 2025

    > Internship with Lorena Redondo Morata (Marseille, France)

  • Ingrid L'hoir SYMBIOSE Lab UMONS

    Ingrid L'HOIR

    Master Thesis in 2025

    > Internship in the Jonkheijm’s lab (Twente, The Nethelands)

  • Clara LEENS

    Master Thesis in 2025

    > Internship in the Joanna Ivaska’s lab (Turku, Finland)

  • Vincent ZUMBO

    Master Thesis in 2024

    > collaboration with Stephanos Konstantinidis (UMONS)

  • Inès MAINIL Mechanobiology & Biomaterials Lab UMONS

    Inès MAINIL

    Master Thesis in 2021

    > Internship in the Olivier Théodoly’s lab at Aix-Marseille University (France)

  • Charlotte VANDENDRIESSCHE Mechanobiology & Biomaterials Lab UMONS

    Charlotte VANDENDRIESSCHE

    Master Thesis in 2017

    > Internship in the Adam Feinberg’s lab at Carnegie-Mellon University (USA)

  • Camille METSDAGH Mechanobiology & Biomaterials Lab UMONS

    Camille MESTDAGH

    Master Thesis in 2015

    > Internship in the David Kaplan’s lab at Tufts University (USA)

  • Geoffrey DELHAYE Mechanobiology & Biomaterials Lab UMONS

    Geoffrey DELHAYE

    Master Thesis in 2014

    > Internship in the Kristian Franze’s group at Cambridge (UK)

    > PhD Thesis in the LAI lab (France)

  • Géraldine CIRCELLI Mechanobiology & Biomaterials Lab UMONS

    Géraldine CIRCELLI

    Master Thesis in 2013

    > Internship in the Dufour’s group at Institut Curie (France) apparaît ici

  • Borna DABIRI Mechanobiology & Biomaterials Lab UMONS

    Borna DABIRI

    Visiting scientist

    Internship from the Kit Parker’s lab at Harvard University (USA)

  • Benjamin GUISELIN Mechanobiology & Biomaterials Lab UMONS

    Benjamin GUISELIN

    Visiting scientist

    Internship from Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon (France)