Team

Dr. Marieke Hendriksen

Marieke Hendriksen is the principal investigator of the PRESERVARE project.

Marieke is a historian of art and science whose research focuses on the material and sensory culture of medicine and chemistry in the Early Modern Low Countries (ca. 1600-1800). She likes to use innovative research methods, such as reconstructions of historical materials and techniques. 

Email: marieke.hendriksen@huc.knaw.nl

Dr. Carmen Schmechel

Carmen Schmechel is a postdoctoral researcher in the PRESERVARE project, working on the history of early modern concepts and practices of fermentation.

Carmen is a historian of chemistry and medicine. She recently concluded a multi-year project on early modern theories of fermentation in their medical, chemical, and philosophical contexts. More broadly, she is interested in the entanglements of theory with practice and observation.

Email:

carmen.schmechel@huc.knaw.nl

Thijs Elfrink

Thijs Elfrink is a PhD researcher in the PRESERVARE project, working on the history of knowledge of brining and pickling. 

Thijs holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s degree in History and Philosophy of Science. His previous research includes reconstructing the emergence of rice cultivation in early colonial Suriname and examining the 19th-century Dutch potato discourse. He aims to combine an interdisciplinary perspective with digital research and improve our understanding of the relationships we create with both food and knowledge.

Email:

thijs.elfrink@huygens.knaw.nl

Tijmen Moesker

Tijmen Moesker is a PhD researcher in the PRESERVARE project, working on the history of knowledge of smoking. 

Tijmen is a Senior Archaeologist with a specialized focus on the study of animal remains, particularly the intricate relationship between humans and animals. His research investigates how animal bones—whether from slaughter, consumption, or other sources—reveal the complex dynamics between past societies and their environments. He hopes to contribute to an innovative approach that bridges archaeology, history, and zoology.

Email: tijmen.moesker@huygens.knaw.nl

Ger Dijkstra

Ger Dijkstra supports the PRESERVARE projects with the curation of its data.

Ger works in the Data & Collections Department at the Huygens Institute as Data Curator. His work focuses on structuring and standardizing data sets, data quality as well as data enrichment.

Email: ger.dijkstra@huygens.knaw.nl

Jakob Jung

Jakob Jung is an intern at the PRESERVARE project, researching rusks as a case study.

Jakob is a research master’s student in History, whose interests lie in the intersection of material and written culture both in the Ancient and Early Modern world. He just finished his thesis on the embodiment of violence in Roman graffiti. Jakob strives to connect innovative methods and theories from fields such as art history, history, archaeology, and history of science in his research. 

Email:

jakob.jung@huygens.knaw.nl

Edurne De Wilde

Edurne De Wilde is the project officer of the PRESERVARE project.

Edurne is an intellectual historian, writing a PhD dissertation on the modern afterlives and creative appropriations of Francis Bacon’s theory of the idols. She finds joy in reading widely and has a strong interest in science communication.

Email: edurne.de.wilde@huygens.knaw.nl