Speakers
Here you can find a brief presentation of our speakers and an abstract of the work they will present during the event.
The speakers are listed below.
Martin van der Veen
Martin van der Veen is a plant leader with a strong background in Chemical Engineering and a passion for process improvement. Throughout his career, he has focused on designing and optimizing processes, solving complex operational challenges, and delivering sustainable business results in Dutch (food) industry.
Combining technical expertise with a structured improvement mindset, Martin has led Six Sigma projects, driving quality improvements, operational efficiency, and financial value. He has extensive experience in manufacturing excellence, maintenance and asset management, and is convinced that sustainable solutions require an integrated approach across technology, processes, and organization.
His professional interests lie at the intersection of chemical technology, operational performance, and continuous improvement, translating technical opportunities into tangible business outcomes.
Currently, Martin is Plant Manager at Royal A-Ware. He has worked for Jacobs Douwe Egberts and Abbott Nutrition. He graduated from Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in 2013.
Abstract
In this session, Martin van der Veen, Chemical Engineer and Plant Manager at Royal A-ware, will provide an insight into the dynamics of modern food production. After a brief introduction to Royal A-ware, he will discuss how Lean Manufacturing principles and the 5M perspective (Man, Machine, Material, Method and Measurement) are applied to drive operational excellence in a production environment.
Through two practical case studies, Martin will demonstrate how new product development and process innovation are translated into tangible business results. The session concludes with a broader perspective on opportunities and challenges facing the Dutch food industry, followed by an interactive discussion with the audience.
This presentation is particularly relevant for chemists and chemical technologists interested in the intersection of process technology, manufacturing excellence, and industrial innovation.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Stefan Schouten
Prof. dr. ir. Stefan Schouten is a leading researcher in marine organic biogeochemistry. His field of expertise are the interactions between microorganisms, sediments, and the global biogeochemical cycles. He is a Senior Research Leader at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and Professor at Utrecht University. His research combines molecular and isotopic approaches to reconstruct microbial communities, environmental change, and past climates. He has led and contributed to major nationally and internationally funded research projects, including an ERC Advanced Investigator Grant. He has been recognized through prestigious awards, including the Treibs Award and the C.C. Patterson Award, and election to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences for the scientific contributions.
Abstract: Million-year-old molecules give insights into past climate
Much of our knowledge on animal life which has lived in the past on our planet comes from the study of fossil remnants like bones and teeth preserved in rocks, with dinosaurs as the most famous examples. But what about past microbial life? In rare instances we find miniscule imprints of the morphology of microbes in ancient rocks and genomic analysis sometimes helps to reconstruct ancestral lineages to modern microbes. However, all microbes do synthesize lipids, molecules which are relatively difficult to completely break down and can be preserved for millions of years in ancient rocks, thereby leaving a trace of past microbial life.
In this talk I will discuss several examples of fossil molecules which have provided insight into past microbial life on our planet. Furthermore, some microbes adapt their lipid composition to changing environmental conditions, a feature we use to reconstruct past environment and climate of our planet.
Prof. Dr. Siegfried Waldvogel
Siegfried R. Waldvogel studied chemistry in Konstanz and in 1996 he received his PhD from the University of Bochum/Max Planck Institute of Coal Research. After post-doctoral research in La Jolla, CA (Prof. Dr. J. Rebek Jr.), he started his own research at the Universities of Münster, Bonn and Mainz. His research focuses on electro-organic transformations including bio-based feedstocks. In 2023, he became director at the Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion. He initiated and coordinated large research projects such as BMBF future cluster Electrifying Technical Organic Syntheses (ETOS). In 2018, he cofounded ESy-Labs GmbH, which provides custom electrosynthesis and contract R&D.
Abstract: Electrifying Organic Synthesis
The direct use of electrochemistry for the generation of reactive intermediates can have major advantages towards conventional synthetic strategies. Compared to the action of other sustainable approaches such as photochemistry, the overall energetic balance is superior and allows easily scalable conversions. Less or no reagent waste is generated and new reaction pathways are accessible. In order to exploit the electricity driven conversions for synthetic purposes and to install unique selectivity two modern approaches will be outlined:
- For reaching larger scale in electrochemical conversions, the formation of high-performance oxidizers is an option. By the given versatility a broad applicability is targeted.
- Several unique molecular entities require for their installation large amounts of reagents, when using electrochemical tools this can be achieved almost waste-free. This is of particular interest when complex molecules are desired.
The working horse to identify suitable electrolytic conditions is the electrosynthetic screening approach. This strategy gives also rise to fast optimization and subsequent scale-up. For technical realization of electrosyntheses carbon electrodes play a crucial role ranging from diamond to highly isostatic graphite carbon allotropes.
Dr. Stefania Grecea
Dr Stefania Grecea completed her studies and PhD at the University of Bucharest specialising in cyanide-bridged supramolecular hetero-polymetallic architectures. Since then she has worked at universities across the Netherlands, Belgium and France and has been affiliated with the University of Amsterdam since 2009. She is the chair of the Quality Standards in Teaching Standing Committee of the European Chemistry Thematic Network and a board member of the Dutch Network of Women Professors (Landelijk Netwerk Vrouwelijke Hoogleraren - LNVH). Her research focuses on inorganic and material chemistry, particularly microporous materials such as MOFs.
Abstract: Metal–Organic Frameworks Materials for Advanced Chemical Sensing
Accurate, selective, and low‑power chemical sensing is central to environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and indoor air quality control. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) provide a powerful platform for chemical sensing, where the interplay of chemical structure, physical properties, and structural design can be used to tune material functionality and enable device integration. In this presentation, I will show how MOFs and their composites can be rationally engineered for the selective detection of a broad range of analytes, including water, solvent molecules, toxic metal ions, radioactive species, and CO₂. I will highlight how synthetic design of molecular building blocks, pore architectures, and the interplay between chemical and physical properties is used to design smart sensing materials that can be integrated into practical devices.
Prof. Dr. Adriaan Minnaard
Prof. dr. ir. Adriaan Minnaard is professor of Bio-organic Chemistry at the University of Groningen, where he leads the Department of Chemical Biology. He earned his PhD in Organic Chemistry in 1997 at Wageningen Agricultural University, focusing on the synthesis and biosynthesis of germacrane sesquiterpenes. His research brings together organic chemistry, chemical biology, and catalysis, with applications in areas including biomedical research. He has held several leadership roles at the University of Groningen, including Director of the Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, and has contributed to national and international scientific advisory boards. He is also actively involved in teaching and mentoring, having supervised more than 30 completed PhD theses and numerous postdoctoral and master’s researchers. His collaborative research has been recognised with the NWO Team Science Award and the 2024 AMMODO Science Award.
Abstract: All Creatures Great and Small; Synthesis-driven Natural Compound Chemistry
For many chemists, both the structure and the synthesis of complex molecules found in nature are closely connected to beauty. Next to this, the synthesis of these compounds helps develop synthesis methodology, as it shows which chemical reactions we cannot yet achieve or are difficult to achieve. Synthesis is essential as well, to determine the molecular structure of a natural compound if spectroscopy alone is insufficient. Moreover, the synthesis of natural compounds provides researchers in biology with compounds of undisputed structure and purity, which is essential for reliable experiments. In the lecture, I will discuss the synthesis of several of these compounds, carried out in our group. As shown, these compounds vary widely in complexity, biological origin, and function.
