Monique holds a PhD in neuroimmunology and worked as a researcher using different models, including animal and in vitro models. During that time, she also became interested in the broader societal and political debate surrounding animal research. While public scrutiny of animal research was high, researchers themselves shy away from the conversation. In 2020, she became EARA Twitter Ambassador for the Netherlands and, motivated to encourage greater openness and engagement, helped coordinate efforts by the Dutch research community to develop a national Transparency Agreement on Animal Research. In 2024, Monique joined the EARA team as Policy & Projects Officer, focusing on the political debate around animal research and working to mobilise researchers and other stakeholder groups to actively engage in discussions about its role in science and society.