Mandy Grootaert is an Assistant Professor at Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) in the Antwerp Metropolitan Area. Her research specializes in microvascular dysfunction related to cardiovascular aging, focusing on the causes and effects of smooth muscle cell senescence in atherosclerosis and vessel remodeling. Mandy holds a Master in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Antwerp and has completed postdoctoral positions at KU Leuven and the University of Cambridge.