Luuk van der Wielen
Prof.dr.ir. Luuk A.M. van der Wielen (Amsterdam, 16-06-1964) is Bernal Professor for Biosystems Engineering and Design since February 2017, and was the first Director of the Bernal Institute at the University of Limerick, Ireland (2017-2024). The Bernal Institute is a 450 p, €200+m research institute on structured materials characterisation, design and manufacturing, especially focusing on solving grand challenges in Health, Energy and the Environment. He is Distinguished Professor in Biobased Economy (nowadays parttime) at Delft University of Technology, Dept. of Biotechnology (www.bt.tudelft.nl ), where he headed the Bioprocess Engineering Section from 1998 until 2017. The activities of the section were ranked as excellent by consecutive national research evaluations and have resulted in several spin-off companies[1]. His research interests include thermodynamics for bioprocesses, bioseparation/-conversion technologies, multifunctional bioreactors, miniaturized (‘on-chip’), high-throughput technology for rapid process development, analysis, sustainable development of (bio)renewables industrial manufacturing, and interfacing Circular Bioeconomy with the Off- and Onshore Renewable Energy sector (ao HybridLabs; ALI-SAF partnership, BioValue, UL-ESB partnership). Google Scholar counts over 350 publications/ patents (Feb’24; 8019 citations; H-index 46). 45 PhD, 75 Eng. Doctorates& over 100 MSc students have graduated under his supervision.
During 2004-’19, he was leading B(E)-BASIC, then globally operating private-public research organisation for Biobased Sustainable Industrial Chemistry & Energy, based in The Netherlands with hubs in South East Asia and Brazil and a cumulative budget exceeding 200 M€. BE-BASIC executed a R&D, training and innovation program in the field of industrial and environmental biotechnology, via a consortium of 50 academia and industries. He is nowadays chair of BE-Basic Foundation Board (www.be-basic.org). He was member of foundational team of the multi purpose pilot facility (www.bpf.eu, ~ M€ 80). In 2012, he coordinated the Netherlands’ Bioenergy and Biochemicals Innovation plan under the Dutch Topsector Policy (budget exceeding €1bn), and was appointed in the 1st Board of Directors of Foundation TKI-BBE. During 2014-17, he chaired BioPort Holland (aviation industry and government group) to help shape the Dutch policy and market towards more sustainable aviation.
He is Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering and is/was member/chair of (inter)national and European boards: Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce (IRL) launched by Irish Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers, Irish SAF Taskforce of Dept of Transport, Platform Bio-Economie (NL), ESBES Board (European Society for Biochemical Engineering Science), Expert Advisory Group of the National Bioeconomy Forum (Ireland), Governing Board of IBioIC (UK/Scottish Industrial Biotech Innovation Center), AgroPolo (agro/forestry re-industralisation board Sao Paulo, BR), coordinator Bioenergy and Biochemicals RD&I programming in NL Topsector Policy (2011-12), Supervisory Board of Dutch Separation Technology Institute, of NL Platform Renewable Feedstocks, Sustainable Energy Cie of the Royal NL Academy of Sciences (KNAW), Steering Group of the EU Technology Platform Suschem/ Industrial Biotechnology, Steering Committee BBE (Min Economic Affairs) and BioPort of Rotterdam, Taskforce Bioenergy Systems (EU Fed. for Biotechnology), Advisory Boards of SENAI-CETIQT (Brazil), BIOKET (France) , US-EU Taskforce on Biotechnology Research, KP Sinha Bioenergy Center (IIT Kharagpur, India), of CLIB2021 (Germany), of BIO4EU (EU Comm.), Oversight Board of the Global Sustainable Bioenergy Project and advisor to several European and international industries. He was in Boards of Commissioners of Dutch Greentech Fund, SHIFT Invest, and Bioprocess Pilot Facility BV. In 2007, he joined (part-time) Royal Dutch Shell as Principal Scientist Biotechnology.
He was Visiting Professor at the Univ. San Carlos, Philippines until 2008; and 2009-‘13 at Univ. of Technology Malaysia. Luuk holds a MSc degree in Chemical Engineering from Twente University (Netherlands), and a PhD degree (with honours) from Delft University of Technology. Luuk van der Wielen is/was member of editorial and advisory boards of several leading international scientific journals, and chaired several scientific conferences (a.o. ESBES4, BPP2005, RRB4, ECOBIO2016/-18, Braz Bioenergy S&T Conf 2017). He is one of the initiators of the successful academic program on Life Science & Technology of Leiden University and TU Delft, director (1997-2017) and 2017 Chair of the Board of postgraduate program Engineering Doctorate (PDEng) Bioprocess Design.
Luuk van der Wielen is married, has 3 children, and has an active and passive interest in jazz music; see here 2010, 2011 and 2018.
[1] such as Delft Advanced Biorenewables https://dab.bio/ and others.
Additional Links
[1] https://www.bernalinstitute.com/
[2] such as Delft Advanced Biorenewables https://dab.bio/ and others
[3] http://www.be-basic.org/news-center/news/bioport-holland-appoints-luuk-van-der-wielen-as-chairman-of-the-board.html