Floris Rutjes, professor at Radboud University, is an inspiring leader in synthetic chemistry, advancing innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration between science and industry.

Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Huck is Professor of Physical Organic Chemistry at Radboud University, where he leads research on complex chemical reaction networks and the interface of chemistry with AI and robotics. He previously held a faculty position at the University of Cambridge, where he was appointed Full Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry in 2007. In 2010, he joined Radboud University as full professor. Huck is lead PI of the €97 million National Growth Fund initiative BigChemistry and co-PI of the SUMMIT grant EVOLF. He is also a recipient of the Spinoza Prize.

Esther is a passionate leader in science communication, making complex chemical research accessible, engaging, and relevant to broad audiences.

Marco Waas is Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer at Nobian, where he leads the R&D program, the Industry 4.0 agenda, and the ESG approach. He champions open innovation through partnerships with universities, startups, and peer companies to speed up implementation of innovations. Waas is a member of the Netherlands Academy of Engineering and sits on various advisory boards. Previously, he was Dean at Delft University of Technology. He studied chemical and information technology at the University of Amsterdam and held senior roles at Unilever.

HRM and New Technologies are in the center of the interests of Tanya. She has been working on topics related to the Transformation of the HRM function (electronic HRM; HR Shared Services; HR delivery channels; HRM sourcing; Social Media and HRM).

Dr. Jos Lenders is since 2024 Editor-in-Chief of ChemistrySelect, Deputy Editor of Chem Eur J, and Editor for ChemistryEurope. Dr. Lenders began his editorial career in 2015 at Wiley’s office in Weinheim, where he held several roles across the Advanced journal portfolio, including Editor-in-Chief of Advanced Materials. He earned his PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology, specializing in bioinspired materials and advanced electron microscopy.

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Dr. Ellen de Brabander is Executive Vice President of Elanco and leads the global R&D and regulatory affairs. She is highly experienced in life sciences, food, and animal health and previously held R&D roles at PepsiCo, Merial, Intervet, and DSM. De Brabander also serves on multiple boards, including ADM, Brightlands Greenport Campus, and Lohmann Therapie Systems. She holds a PhD in bio-organic chemistry from Leiden University and conducted postdoctoral research at MIT. She has received multiple awards for her research, including the KNCV Golden Medal in 2000 for Best Chemist Under 40.

Anouk Rijs, professor at VU Amsterdam, is a leading expert in molecular spectroscopy, inspiring innovation through groundbreaking research and fostering collaboration across chemistry, physics, and biology.

Prof. Dr. Matthias Bickelhaupt is Professor and Head of Theoretical Chemistry and of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences at VU Amsterdam. His research focuses on quantum-mechanical models and simulations for the rational design of molecules, materials, and chemical processes. He has held postdoctoral positions in Germany, Canada, the USA, and the Netherlands. Bickelhaupt is a Chemistry Europe Fellow, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and Member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities. He is Vice President of the KNCV and incoming President as of June 2025.

Dr. Liedewij Laan leads a research group at TU Delft exploring resilience in cellular systems using yeast polarity as a model. With a background in applied physics and a PhD. in the physics of life, she has conducted research at AMOLF, EMBL, and Harvard, supported by ERC grants. Laan is widely recognized for her contributions to interdisciplinary science and science communication. She is also the founder of BiBB, an initiative connecting STEM researchers with governance and policy, aiming to bring scientific expertise to societal challenges.

Wobine Buijs-Glaudemans served as Mayor of Oss from 2011 to 2025, with a strong focus on enhancing the earning capacity of society. She has been an advocate for the Life Sciences sector in Oss and plays a key role in regional innovation. Buijs currently serves as Chair of the Social and Economic Council (SER) Brabant and is a member of the Supervisory Board of Brainport Industries Campus.

Prof. Dr. Bert Meijer is Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Organic Chemistry at Eindhoven University of Technology. He previously worked in industry at Philips and DSM. Meijer is Associate Editor of JACS and has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Spinoza Prize and the Grand Prix de la Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie. He is a member of several academies, including the US National Academy of Sciences, and is knighted by the king to be Commandeur in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw.

Prof. Dr. Moniek Tromp is Research Director of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials and co-Director of the Groningen Engineering Center. She previously held academic positions in the UK and Germany. Tromp leads major national initiatives, including as figurehead of the National Growth Fund Project Materials Independence and Sustainable Batteries, and is on the steering board of the Battery Competence Cluster NL. She is Captain of Science for Topsector Chemistry, Chair of the Dutch Catalysis Society, and President of the Initiative for Science in Europe.

Nienke Homan is Chair of the Royal Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI) and an entrepreneur in hydrogen chains. She also chairs the Supervisory Boards of Energie Data Services Nederland (EDSN) and the ceramic industry association KNB. From 2015 to 2021, she served as a deputy of the province of Groningen for GroenLinks. In this role, she contributed greatly to the hydrogen economy, creating a new perspective for Groningen.

Dr. Arend Zomer is Senior Advisor for Public-Private Partnerships and NWO at the University of Twente. He obtained his PhD on the effects of public-private partnerships on academic research. He previously worked at NWO TTW. His expertise includes national and European developments in research funding policy, public-private funding instruments, and the strategic formation of consortia. Zomer coordinates the university’s involvement in the Dutch Top Sectors and is a member of the national KIA ST core team, which shapes the Dutch National Technology Strategy.

Peter Linssen is Trainer and Executive Coach at Ember. He is a biologist who worked in the pharmaceutical industry where he held various roles in marketing, sales, international management and strategy. For the past 25 years he has run his own company specializing in executive coaching, leadership training and team development. Peter combines his scientific mindset with deep expertise in human dynamics to support leaders and teams in achieving sustainable growth and collaboration.

Jacqueline Vaessen has served as the ‘boegbeeld’ for the Dutch Top Sector Chemistry since September 2021. In this role, she also chairs the mission team for the Circular Economy.
Additionally, she is currently the interim director at NLHydrogen.
Vaessen holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She began her career in 1989 at Shell Chemicals. She then spent eight years at Syntens, working first as an innovation broker and later as a regional manager. In 2004, she chose to become an independent entrepreneur, focusing on energy savings in industry and alternative methods of generating sustainable energy.
Until September 2018, Jacqueline Vaessen was politically active as a member of the Provincial Council of Utrecht, where she acted as spokesperson for energy and the economy. From 2018 to 2022, she served as General Manager of Nexstep, the national platform for the reuse and decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure.

Dr. Vera Nies is an internationally oriented and experienced Programme Manager/Project Lead at Lygature Foundation. She combines experience in setting up and leading multi-stakeholder partnerships with expertise in regulatory affairs and patient & public involvement. Her ambition is to make an impact in the day-to-day lives of people by ensuring that clinical innovations reach people when they most need them. At Lygature, Vera currently leads a Dutch initiative and an EU-funded partnership. She is co-lead of Lygature’s patient involvement team, and involved in the recruitment and establishment of new opportunities for collaborations.
Vera was originally trained as a Medical Biologist at the Radboud University Nijmegen. After her studies, she obtained a PhD in the field of Molecular Mechanisms of Health and Disease at the University of Groningen. Vera gained experience in the pharmaceutical industry working as a Regulatory Affairs Manager at Novartis. She started working as a Programme Manager at Lygature in 2018.

Dr. Erwin Boutsma is an experienced communications professional and partnership manager with a PhD in molecular genetics. After his PhD, he turned to scientific communication and was editor-in-chief of several online and print media in molecular sciences, including C2W and ScienceLink at the Royal Dutch Chemistry Society (KNCV). In 2022, he turned to partnership management at the Lygature Foundation, facilitating complex, multi-stakeholder, public-private research partnerships in the EU and The Netherlands.
His main expertise and focus is how to better reuse health data for scientific research. In this context he was involved in the FAIRplus project and is currently Work Package lead in IDERHA, an ambitious European project to lay the foundation of the European Health Data Space. In addition, he helped set-up the Dutch National Growth Fund Program Oncode Accelerator, aiming to improve preclinical cancer therapy development.

Rosanne Hertzberger (born 1984) is a microbiologist, writer, and politician. She is the director of the Scientific Bureau of the New Social Contract party and served as a member of the Dutch House of Representatives from December 2023 to November 2024. During her time in parliament, she focused on issues such as nitrogen policy, science, higher education, and medical-ethical matters. She writes a weekly column for NRC Handelsblad and hosts the podcast Hertzberger's Inbox.
As a scientist, she conducted research on vaginal lactic acid bacteria at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and previously at Washington University in St. Louis. She is the founder of Stichting Crispatus, which is developing a vaginal probiotic. Hertzberger earned her PhD from the University of Amsterdam and studied Life Science & Technology in Leiden and Delft.

Tanja Kulkens began her career in 1994 as a policy officer at the Foundation Scheikundig Onderzoek Nederland (SON), one of the former disciplinary foundations within the Dutch Research Council (NWO), after completing her studies in chemistry and earning a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
She has held various policy, coordination, and leadership roles throughout her career. Since 2017, she has served as Head of Chemistry and Physics within NWO's Domain of Science (ENW). In 2022, she was appointed Director of the ENW Domain and became a member of NWO’s executive management team.

Paul van Liempt is a journalist, interviewer, podcast creator, and author. He has worked for Het Parool, Vrij Nederland, Change.Inc, and Het Financieele Dagblad. For ten years, he produced daily talk shows for BNR and RTL Z. He is the author of eight books and founded two online interview platforms. Van Liempt currently hosts a weekly program on geopolitics for BNR.