Ede, Gelderland, Netherlands
At Strain Manager, my focus is on pioneering sustainable solutions through industrial fermentation, leveraging my extensive background in strain development and metabolic engineering. I am committed to driving innovation in biotechnology, specifically by developing production organisms that can replace oil-based and animal-based products with fermentation-based alternatives. The expertise I developed during my career at Corbion, including managing strain development projects and supporting regulatory, IP and public relations dossiers, are instrumental in my current consultancy and interim management roles. With a professional path deeply rooted in both academia and industry, my work has always straddled the line between research and practical application. At Wageningen University, I established a new research group and successfully transferred project results to Corbion, which funded subsequent PhD projects and licensed intellectual property. This dual experience enriches my capability to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial application, fostering a collaborative ecosystem that propels the field forward. I am deeply passionate about harnessing the power of modern biotechnology for sustainable industrial production. If you are interested in discussing biotechnology innovations, strain development, or how we can work together to create a more sustainable future, do not hesitate to reach out to me. Keywords: Industrial Biotechnology; Strain Development; Synthetic Biology; Precision fermentation; Regulatory Compliance; Genetic Tool Development; Non-model organisms; Molecular Detection Methods; Nanopore Sequencing; Team Leadership; Project Management Publications: https://scholar.google.nl/citations?user=oEA-XS0AAAAJ&hl=en
Via Strain Manager, I want to contribute to a sustainable society using the power of industrial fermentation. I offer: · consultancy · interim management for industrial biotechnology · coaching of junior industrial biotechnology scientists My long previous experience in R&D in industry and academia allows me to provide advice on the best of what modern biotechnology has to offer for industrial applications. I have a passion for strain development including strain selection, biosafety assessment and strain monitoring and I combine this with previous experience in related regulatory, public affairs and intellectual property aspects. As a manager, I enjoy using my previous experience in building teams and coaching/mentoring people. Currently, I am active for a multinational, an SME and two start-ups as interim scientist/project manager and scientific advisor.
Establishing a new research group within the Bacterial Genetics Group of the Laboratory of Microbiology at Wageningen University Writing and granting of an NWO PhD project proposal between Corbion and Wageningen University, enabling the start of a new research line Successfully leading the project that resulted in Corbion acquiring the project results, funding a subsequent PhD project that resulted in licensing of IP, thus initiating a third PhD project Acting as promotor and supervisor for 8 PhD candidates, providing them with the freedom to explore and coaching them, akin to my role at Corbion Delivering seven PhDs projects, all of which have resulted in successful careers within academia and/or industry and publication in reputable journals
Supervision of 2 PhD students
Developing new projects and initiatives that leverage biotechnology innovations Establishing policies related to biotechnology science and regulations Representing Corbion at business associations and academic consortia Responsible for strain development projects, strain management and biosafety dossiers Achievements: I initiated two project proposals that involve collaborations with third parties for Corbion's need for new building block chemicals. These projects were approved and executed until a first go/no-go moment, where they were discontinued due to technical challenges and changes in business focus. I initiated a project for development of propionic acid production strains establishing genetic tools for these hard-to-engineer strains and applying those for improved yield. I supported the regulatory team by writing several scientific reports on the biosafety of our production strains leading to the product registrations being approved and new markets being established. The molecular detection tools developed by my team were successfully applied to identify the cause of fermentation issues in a factory and selecting the right solution to overcome the issue and restore the right performance I participated in a working group within EuropaBio that has written a review on the knowledge of GMO microorganisms in relation to updating the European GMO legislation, which has been published in EFB Bioeconomy Journal.
Supervising the ML-I laboratories at Corbion and executing the related administration Maintaining contacts with Bureau GGO and facilitating site visits
In this role I was both responsible for Regulatory Affairs of Corbion Algae Ingredients and for Biotechnology Innovation for Corbion Global R&D with a strong focus on Strain Development and Molecular Biology Innovation. Together with my regulatory colleague we arranged product registrations for AlgaPrime products and an industrial production permit for a tailored-oil production organism. My focus was on the biotechnology content. We had close interactions with the business team to design the best strategy for expansion of Corbion's Algae Ingredients market.
The Dutch Biotechnology Association (NBV) is the association for all professionals in the field of Applied Life Sciences. The board organizes the yearly Netherlands Biotechnology Conference NBC and facilitates the activities of the working groups.
First four years as PhD on genetics of exopolysaccharide production in Lactococcus lactis. Then four years as researcher for the Wageningen Centre of Food Sciences on genetics of lactic acid bacteria.