I am fascinated with the idea that networks of chemical reactions operate in harmony to govern living system, at all scales. I obtained my PhD degree cum laude from Radboud University under supervision of prof. Huck in 2017. The excellence of my PhD is underlined with the Backer-KNCV prize for the best thesis in organic chemistry in the Netherlands. In the same year, I received a Rubicon grant, which provided me with the opportunity to work with prof. Whitesides at Harvard University. This postdoctoral experience enabled me to deepen my knowledge in chemical origin of life and strengthen my expertise in out-of-equilibrium reaction networks before starting my tenure track in the Molecular Nanofabrication group at University of Twente in 2020.
CV
2020– Tenure Track Assistant Professor (Chemical Reaction Networks). Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Molecules and Materials, University of Twente, the Netherlands.
2017–2020 Postdoctoral Fellow (Chemical Origin of Life). Faculty of Science and Arts, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, United States of America. Supervisor: George Whitesides
2013–2017 Ph. D. student (Physical Organic Chemistry). Institute of Molecular Materials, Department of Organic Chemistry, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Supervisor: Wilhelm Huck
2011–2013 MSc. student (Chemistry). Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
AWARDS AND HONORS
2023 TKI Green Chemistry & Circularity PPP: "Capturing dynamics in protein digestion with chemical reaction networks (CRNs)-on-chip". Grant (178 kEUR) for collaborative research projects between public and private parties, funded by the Topsector Chemie, TKI. This research will be exceuted with at the UT, in collaboration with Dr. Sylwia Sekula-Neuner from n.able GmbH and Michael Hirtz from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT.
2022 KMNFi facility: "Printing of Chemical Feedbacks enables Molecular Intelligence". Grant (facility access) for Karlsruhe Micro Nano Facilities, funded by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT. Co-applicant: Dr. Sylwia Sekula-Neuner
2022 NWO Open Competition-M: “Capturing Higher-order Interactions in Chemical Reaction Networks”. Grant (660 kEUR) for curiosity-driven, fundamental research, funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO. Co-applicant: Dr. Clara Stegehuis.
2020 NWO Veni: “From Out-of-Equilibrium Reaction Networks to Special Purpose Chemical Computers”. Personal grant (250 kEUR) funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO.
2018 NWO Rubicon: "From autocatalytic to self-evolving molecular networks". Personal grant (137 kEUR) funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO.
2018 IMM Best Thesis Award. Best PhD thesis in Chemistry at the Institute of Molecular Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
2017 Backer-KNCV Prize. Best PhD thesis in the field of organic chemistry and catalysis in the Netherlands.
2017 PhD cum laude. Top 5% of all Dutch theses; the highest possible grade in the Netherlands.