Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Experienced R&D team- and project manager, currently leading a data science team innovating ingredient discovery. Translator at the interface of chemistry, biotech, and AI/ML. Extensive experience in leadership, growth and strategic development of R&D data science teams and their project portfolio. Scientific background in biochemistry, biophysics, and biocatalysis. PhD from Cambridge, UK, and international experience in global functions collaborating across DE, NL, CH and the US. I love to use my experience to build bridges across functions and disciplines, in order to speed up development of solutions for a healthy and sustainable society.
Building, leading and growing a new team developing ML models and cheminformatics tools innovating our ingredient discovery process. Responsible for strategy, line- and project management. Stakeholder management up to SVP level in interdisciplinary international collaborations across US, CH and NL. Aready successfully delivering models and tools with the new team, while balancing steep team learning curve, building the network with colleagues from former Firmenich, and product delivery.
Continuation of last role in the context of the merged company, managing transition period and starting up new portfolio. Pivoted with part of my team, and created a new team focused on ingredient discovery, leading the shaping, startup and delivery of new projects. Intensive networking, connecting and building new interdisciplinary community around ingredient discovery across both legacy companies.
Selected and promoted to lead the new data analytics team within the Center for Digital Innovation. Line management and strategic development of the team and its portfolio. Strategic development of the center as part of the leadership team.
Leadership and development of the new data science team, after its creation through split from the bioinformatics & modeling team. Now leading both teams, so responsible for two teams with in total 25+ direct reports.
Leadership, growth and strategic development of the bioinformatics & modeling team at the DSM Biotechnology Center. Communication and interface with internal partners in R&D and business, to facilitate R&D projects through optimal use of bioinformatics & modeling resources. Expanded data science capability through strategic hiring to reach size of a second team.
Biocatalysis, enzyme process development and succesful delivery of two multi-enzyme processes in a team. Optimization of enzymes and enzyme processes for industrial biotransformations to produce food ingredients. Project design, implementation and research for internal and customer projects.
Investigated specificity determinants and evolution of promiscuous sulfatases. Kinetic and mechanistic analysis of enzymes. Experimental enzyme re-specialization using protein engineering and directed evolution techniques, as well as protein expression, purification and kinetic as well as biophysical characterization. Supervised 2 project students.