Gert-Jan has a background in Polyolefin catalysis (DSM; now Sabic) and has been Professor of Polymer Catalysis at Eindhoven University of Technology (1999-2006). After joining Avantium in 2000, he was as CTO responsible for developing Avantium’s technology portfolio (FDCA/PEF; biorefining; CCU (CO2 as feedstock); renewable high performance polyesters. Gert-Jan is inventor on more than 100 PCT patent families; he was elected “2014 European CTO of the year” and runner-up European inventor of the year in 2017 for FDCA/PEF. Gert-Jan is since 2016 professor Industrial Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), where he is also working on the plastic transition.