Board

Board Members

• Josef R. Wuensch
  Josef R. Wuensch

  Josef R. Wuensch is the Chairman of the SusChem board. He is Senior Vice President R&D Performance Materials at BASF. His expertise at BASF covers global research and product development for performance materials based on ‘thermoplastic’, ‘duroplastic’ and biobased / biodegradeable materials. Click here to read Josef R. Wuensch's full biography. 

• Andrés R. Alcántara
  Andrés R. Alcántara

  Andrés R. Alcántara studied chemistry and received his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Córdoba, Spain, in 1989. After a postdoctoral stay at the University of Kent at Canterbury, U.K., he joined the Department of Chemistry in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid, where he is Full Professor in Organic Chemistry and director of the R&D Group of Biotechnology and Applied Materials (TRANSBIOMAT). Click here to read Andrés R. Alcántara's full biography.

• Stelios Bikos
  Stelios Bikos

  Stelios Bikos (SusChem GR) is the 2020 Chair of the SusChem NTPs leadership team (2020-2023), representing the National Technology Platforms network at Board level. He is currently heading activities of Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) in gas wholesale, including pricing and commercial policy. Click here to read Stelios Bikos' full biography.

• Deirdre Black
  Deirdre Black

  Deirdre Black obtained her PhD in theoretical particle physics from Syracuse University, New York in 2001. She held postdoctoral positions at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Jefferson National Lab, followed by a research fellowship at the University of Cambridge, before joining the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2011. Click here to read Deirdre Black's full biography. 

• David Bogle
  David Bogle

  David Bogle is Professor of Chemical Engineering at University College London (UCL) and Pro-Vice-Provost of UCL’s Doctoral School. He is currently Scientific Vice President of the European Federation of Chemical Engineers. His expertise is in Process Systems Engineering and Systems Biology. Click here to read David Bogle's full biography.   

• Agnes Borg
  Agnes Borg

  Agnes Borg has worked as Director for Industrial Biotechnology at EuropaBio since September 2018, prior to which she was Manager for Industrial Biotechnology – a role which she took on in December 2015. Agnes works with the aim to improve understanding, awareness and development of a more enabling policy environment for Industrial Biotech and bio-based products in Europe. Click here to read Agnes Borg's full biography. 

• Andreas Förster
  Andreas Förster

  Andreas Förster studied chemistry and received his doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Würzburg in 1997. Since 1997, he has been an employee of DECHEMA, the German Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, where he heads the Department for Research Coordination and Conferences.  Click here to read Andreas Förster's full biography.

• Thomas Görgen
  Thomas Görgen

  Thomas Görgen is an experienced innovation leader focusing on OPEN INNOVATION. He is heading Alliance Management in Innovation Management and Commercial Sercives at Covestro. The function comprises university and research cooperations, innovation networks with companies, public funding as well as innovation policies. Click here to read Thomas Görgen's full biography. 

• Silke Gotthardt
  Silke Gotthardt

  Silke Gotthardt obtained her PhD in Natural Sciences from the University of Erlangen, Germany, in the field of Pharmaceutical Technology in close cooperation with Parke Davis GmbH, Freiburg, Germany. As of October 2021, she was appointed Head of Process Technology Development within Engineering & Technology at Bayer in Leverkusen. Click here to read Silke Gotthardt's full biography. 

• Reinier Grimbergen
  Reinier Grimbergen

  Reinier Grimbergen is an organic chemist by training and obtained his PhD in solid state chemistry at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. After his studies he joined Royal DSM, a Life Science and Material Science company and made his career in R&D and Innovation management with a focus on sustainable value creation. At TNO, he has been appointed as a Principal Consultant in 2021. Click here to read Reinier Grimbergen's full biography. 

• Tuulamari Helaja
  Tuulamari Helaja

  Tuulamari Helaja graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Helsinki in 2000. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Münster in 2000-2001, she joined Borealis Polymers to work on olefin polymerisation catalyst technologies. Click here to read Tuulamari Helaja's full biography. 

• Ling Hua
  Ling Hua

  Ling Hua is the Senior Vice President and Head of Group Biotechnology at Clariant. She obtained her Ph.D. from Rice University in Houston, Texas. She joined BioCatalytics, Inc., a startup company in Southern California, where she and her team developed and commercialized more than 50 enzymes (biocatalysts) as screening kits for pharmaceutical companies. Click here to read Ling Hua's full biography. 

• Philippe Jacques
  Philippe Jacques

  Chemical Engineer graduated from the University of Louvain‐la‐Neuve, Belgium, Philippe Jacques joined Solvay in 1988 in Brussels, Belgium, and moved to various Intellectual Property, R&D management and senior leadership roles. Since 2018, he is also the Managing Director of the Energy Materials Industrial Research Initiative (EMIRI). Click here to read Philippe Jacques' full biography.

• Fernando Moreno
  Fernando Moreno

  Now Executive Chairman and founding partner at Solutex, Fernando Moreno has been part of the agro food industry since the beginning of his professional career. He has acted in three of the most important companies in the European alimentary market, with responsibilities for expansion in the European and American markets. Click here to read Fernando Moreno's full biography.

• Jarmo Ropponen
  Jarmo Ropponen

  Jarmo Ropponen received his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Jyväskylä in 2004. He joined VTT in 2008 where he has acted in several R&D and manager positions. Currently he is Vice President of Industrial Chemistry research area. Click here to read Jarmo Ropponen's full biography. 

• Uwe Stelzer
  Uwe Stelzer

  Uwe Stelzer obtained his PhD in chemistry from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, in 1991, in the field of chemo enzymatic synthesis, followed by one year research assignment at Stuttgart University. He joined BAYER in 1992 in Monheim, Germany, and moved to various R+D, Product Supply, management and senior leadership roles. Click here to read Uwe Stelzer's full biography.  

• Christoph Weckbecker
  Christoph Weckbecker

  Since summer 2018, Christoph Weckbecker is working at Evonik Corporate Innovation and is responsible for the Group ‘Innovation Networks’. The focus of the actual work is on open innovation, ideation and design thinking processes by setting up networks with new industry or strategic academia partners. He also represents Evonik in different associations and councils and coordinates the innovation relevant activities in Evonik. Click here to read Christoph Weckbecker's full biography.

• Hans-Georg Weinig
  Hans-Georg Weinig

  Hans-Georg Weinig is since 2016 Director Education, Career and Science at the German Chemical Society (GDCh) in Frankfurt, Germany. His tasks include international affairs, chemistry education and advanced training, organisation of multilateral scientific conferences, scientific consulting of policy makers, promoting career pathways in science as well as exchange of young scientists. Click here to read Hans-Georg Weinig's full biography.