Brussels, Brussels Region, Belgium
As Director of Science at World Forest ID, I lead efforts to verify the harvest location of timber and other forest-risk commodities by combining forensic science, AI, and supply chain intelligence. Our mission is to give governments, industries, and enforcement bodies the tools they need to verify product origins, combat illegal logging, and strengthen sustainable trade systems. I bring together: * Deep technical expertise in natural resource management, forestry, wood technology, analytical chemistry, and data analysis. * Supply chain and trade route insights. * A trusted international network spanning industry, enforcement agencies, research institutions, NGOs, and policymakers. What drives me is a simple principle: science works best if it creates real-world impact. I thrive on bridging the gap between data and decision-making, helping transform cutting-edge research into actionable solutions for natural resource governance and trade transparency.
* Shaping the global strategy for science-driven traceability of forest-risk commodities, ensuring research translates into tools for enforcement, industry, and policymakers. * Driving innovation at the intersection of science and AI, leading the development of machine learning and isotope/elemental methods for supply chain accountability. * Building partnerships to foster trust and adoption of traceability solutions.
* Managed the World Forest ID Timber Programme at RBG-Kew, scaling scientific methods into operational tools for global supply chain risk management. * Chaired the World Forest ID Science Advisory Group, aligning researchers and stakeholders on cutting-edge traceability standards. * Provided expert advice to the UK government (OPSS, DEFRA) on tackling illegal timber trade and forest-risk commodities. * Pioneered advanced data fusion approaches to integrate chemical, isotopic, and genetic methods into actionable insights.
At Meise Botanic Garden, I complement my role at World Forest ID by contributing to the advancement of global forest traceability through scientific development, and setting up analysis contracts with laboratories around the globe. I coordinate and manage critical reference collections ensuring that these datasets support accurate species and harvest location identification across continents. I oversee the processing and analysis of wood and forest risk commodity samples using techniques such as stable isotope ratio analysis, multi-elemental profiling. I am also actively involved in casework investigations, supporting industry, enforcement agencies and stakeholders with scientific evidence on the origin and legality of timber products. Currently, I am leading the setup of a new multi-element analysis laboratory at Meise Botanic Garden, designed to strengthen in-house capacity for forensic work on forest and agricultural materials.
* Directed the World Forest ID Timber Programme at RBG-Kew, scaling scientific methods into operational tools for global supply chain risk management. * Chaired the World Forest ID Science Advisory Group, aligning researchers and stakeholders on cutting-edge traceability standards. * Provided expert advice to the UK government (OPSS, DEFRA) on tackling illegal timber trade and forest-risk commodities. * Pioneered advanced data fusion approaches to integrate chemical, isotopic, and genetic methods into actionable insights.
Belgian Americal Educational Fellow Postdoc at the Musah Research Lab * Timber provenancing using LADI-MS * Metabolite distribution within individual trees * Assessing relationships between tree metabolites and environmental characteristics * Support to PhD students on coding, data analysis and how to present results effectively
* Timber identification with wood anatomy and DART-TOMS * Policy brief preparation on illegal timber trade in Belgium and carbon storage in the tropics. * Scientific support to PhD students in data analysis, paper writing and publishing