Personal statement

• Exceptionally qualified Composite Materials Scientist with balanced expertise in fibre reinforcements, sizings, surface & interface science, polymer matrices, composite processing, structure-property relationships, micromechanical and molecular modelling • Extensive experience leading multifunctional, multicultural, global teams developing and commercializing new and novel fibre and polymer composite products. • Unique international experience in New Product and New Business Development within the Research Departments of major multinational companies. • Wide-ranging research experience investigating interfacial phenomena and (re)processing-structure-property relationships in fibre reinforced polymer composites. • Proven experience of driving successful research and development programmes in cross-cultural environment gained in Belgium, the USA, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK. • Extensive experience managing the industry-academia research interface from both sides. • Advocate for the integration of applied fundamental research into industrial product development projects. • Proven experience building internationally leading composites research team in academia. • Excellent track record of research funding generation • Successful set up and management of a large Materials Characterisation Laboratory • Internationally recognized communicator, authored >150 papers and conference presentations, Chair of 2004 Gordon Conference on Composites. • Language skills: mother tongue English, bilingual in Dutch, good German, basic French.