Jef Van Laer

Senior Consultant - QC Engineer supporting automation and method validation efforts

Oostham, Flemish Region, Belgium

About

With over 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, I am currently a Senior Consultant at SThree, supporting Sanofi Belgium as a QC Engineer. I specialize in automation on the Andrew+ pipetting robot, automating manual methods and troubleshooting or optimizing existing automations. Previously in this role I worked on method transfer and validation for advanced analytical methods, including UPLC, CE on Maurice, MCE on LabChip GXII Touch, and cIEF on iCE3 or Maurice. My work also involves equipment validation and contributing to digitalization initiatives within the QC engineering team. I bring expertise in planning, communication, and technical writing. My mission is to drive innovation and efficiency in quality control processes while ensuring adherence to the highest standards. Passionate about fostering teamwork and achieving organizational goals, I am committed to delivering impactful results in the ever-evolving field of pharmaceutical quality assurance.

Experience

  • SThree (Full-time · 2 yrs 3 mos)
    • Senior Consultant
      Jan 2026 - Present · 6 mos

      Assignment as QC Engineer at Sanofi Geel

    • Consultant
      Apr 2024 - Dec 2025 · 1 yr 9 mos

      Assignment as QC engineer at Sanofi Geel, starting Apr2024

  • QC Engineer at Sanofi Belgium
    Apr 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 3 mos

    Consultancy by Real Staffing / SThree Services, assignment at Sanofi as QC Engineer. Projects include: Method transfer and validation for analytical methods using UPLC, CE on Maurice, MCE on LabChip GXII Touch and cIEF on iCE3. Configuration and troubleshooting of the Waters Andrew+ pipetting robot, and setting up protocols to use the robot with new methods. Equipment validation support (ThermoMixer, LabChip GXII Touch) Supporting the QC engineer team with digitalization efforts and control trending.

  • Organizer at Day of Dungeons
    Jun 2025 - Present · 1 yr 1 mo

    Member of the Day of Dungeons organizers, the team behind the yearly tabletop role playing game (ttRPG) festival in Belgium. This festival aims to bring together people who love ttRPGs such as (but not limited to) Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu. We organize play sessions, market stalls, workshops, a cosplay contest and more. For the edition of 07Mar2026, I was part of the teams taking care of planning and content. I specifically worked on the planning of the game masters, as well as delivering pre-written sessions and character sheets. For the edition of 13Mar2027, I serve as co-lead of the Content team, one of the three main organizational branches responsible for the creative and player-facing aspects of the festival. In this role, I: - Co-lead the content team, coordinating multiple groups responsible for designing and delivering the festival's activities and gameplay content. - Oversee the planning and execution of content-related initiatives, including GM coordination, workshops, live quest, PvP, LARP, children's programming and community involvement. - Support the different groups in defining goals, tracking progress and resolving cross-team dependencies. - Help ensure the availability of pre-written sessions and character sheets, as well as develop a clear and structured session registration system. - Act as a central point of contact between the groups working under the Content umbrella and the other two organizational branches, ensuring alignment in overall planning and logistics. - Contribute to the continuous improvement of the organizational structure and visitor experience.

  • KBI Biopharma (On-site)
    • Senior Research Associate
      Feb 2022 - Mar 2024 · 2 yrs 2 mos

      Protein analysis in Contract Development & Manufacturing Organisation, GxP environment SEC-HPLC, AEX-HPLC, RP-HPLC, CE, icIEF, Empower Octet Biolayer interferometry, ELISA, SDS-PAGE, IEF, Western Blot UV-Vis, pH, osmolality, appearance & extractable volume testing Writing and following of GxP controlled documents (SOPs, methods, protocols and reports) Deviation investigation, CAPA execution, Change Control implementation Sample coordination (sample reception/shipping, stability staging, stability pull) Waste management officer Qualified trainer Unofficial facilities management, IT support and instrument qualification support Subject Matter Expert supporting multiple departments during audits & regulatory inspections

    • Research Associate
      Oct 2019 - Feb 2022 · 2 yrs 5 mos

      Protein analysis in Contract Development & Manufacturing Organisation, GxP environment SEC-HPLC, AEX-HPLC, RP-HPLC, CE, icIEF, Empower Octet Biolayer interferometry, ELISA, SDS-PAGE, IEF, Western Blot UV-Vis, pH, osmolality, appearance & extractable volume testing Writing and following of GxP controlled documents (SOPs, methods, protocols and reports) Sample coordination (sample reception/shipping, stability staging, stability pull) Waste management officer Qualified trainer Unofficial stock management, IT support and instrument qualification support

  • Research Associate at ViroVet
    Jul 2017 - Oct 2019 · 2 yrs 4 mos

    Cell & virus cultures RNA & DNA extractions from serum / organ samples qPCR / RT-qPCR / PCR / RT-PCR, gel electrophoresis Virus Neutralization Test, ELISA, IPMA Transfection, in vitro transcription Mycoplasma test Antiviral assays, Toxicity assays, Solubility assays