Dr. Maria Tryfonos

Maria Tryfonos is a postdoctoral researcher in the Reproduction & Immunology (REIM) research team under the Genetics, Reproduction and Development (GRAD) research group at the VUB, where she investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying embryo implantation and early human development. Her work focuses on optimising 3D human endometrial models to recapitulate the peri- and post-implantation stages of embryo development in vitro, using donated hu-man embryos in full compliance with ethical and legal frameworks. By dissecting key signalling pathways and cellular interactions at the embryo–endometrium inter-face, Maria aims to advance understanding of implantation dynamics and improve outcomes in reproductive medicine.    

Maria earned her PhD in Medical Sciences through a co-tutelle program between the University of Warwick (UK) and VUB (Belgium), under the supervision of Prof. Jan Brosens and Prof. Hilde Van de Velde. Her doctoral research pioneered the use of patient-specific endometrial assembloids to model endometrial function and implantation, providing new insights into endometrial biology. She previously ob-tained an MSc in Reproductive and Developmental Biology from Imperial College London, where she graduated with merit (distinction for her dissertation), and a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Essex, graduating with first-class honours.    

Her research has been published in high-impact journals including Science Ad-vances and eLife. She is a contributing author to protocols for modelling embryo implantation using endometrial assembloids and is actively involved in collabora-tive research with leading international institutions, including KU Leuven, IMBA (Austria), the University of Nantes, and the University of Warwick.    

Maria is a recipient of several academic awards, including the Best Basic Research Award (BSRM Scientific Meeting, 2023), the Blue Sky Award for innovative re-search (Warwick Medical School Symposium, 2022), and the EUTOPIA Co-tutelle PhD Scholarship. She regularly presents her work at leading conferences such as the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and the European Socie-ty of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).    

As an active member of ESHRE, ASRM, ISSCR, and BSRM, Maria’s work inte-grates stem cell biology, organoid technology, and human embryology to address fundamental questions in reproductive biology and support future advances in as-sisted reproductive technologies.