Group

Bert Sels

bert.sels@kuleuven.be

Bert Sels

Full Professor


Bert F. Sels (1972), currently full professor at KU Leuven, obtained his Ph.D. in 2000 in the field of heterogeneous oxidation catalysis under the guidance of professor Pierre Jacobs. He was awarded the DSM Chemistry Award in 2000, the Incentive Award by the Belgian Chemical Society in 2005, and the Green Chemistry Award in La Rochelle in 2015. He is currently director of the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis (COK, 2015-2018).

His research activities encompass the design of heterogeneous catalysts for the future challenges in industrial organic and environmental catalysis. He has an h index of 100, with more than 400 peer reviewed papers and 37 000 citations (google scholar), and he wrote 28 patents. His expertise includes heterogeneous catalysis in bio-refineries and factories, the design of  hierarchically structured zeolites and carbons, and spectroscopy and kinetics for the identification of catalytically active sites for small molecule activation.

He is appointed active member of the Research Council of the University. He is co-chair of the Catalysis Commission of the International Zeolite Association (IZA) and co-founder of the European Research Institute of Catalysis (ERIC). He is member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, visiting professor in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, board member of the international advisory board of ChemSusChem (Wiley), ChemCatChem (Wiley), and he is currently associate editor of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (ACS).


You can discover more details of his research at http://www.sels-group.eu/

Bert Lagrain

bert.lagrain@kuleuven.be

Bert Lagrain

Industrial research manager


Dr. Bert Lagrain (M) holds a PhD in Bioscience Engineering since 2007 in the field of cereal chemistry and food science. In 2009 and 2012 he was a visiting researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Food Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

He joined the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis of the KU Leuven in 2013 as an Industrial Research Manager in the domain of the catalytic and chemical engineering technology for the biorefinery. He authored more than 55 peer-reviewed papers (ISI) in the domain of (applied) chemistry with an h-index of 22. He is responsible for the translation of academic research toward industrial applications and coordinates the national and international funding applications of the group and the technology transfer. In this regard Bert successfully acquired research funding from the EU programmes H2020 and Interreg; from different regional funding sources and through bilateral agreements with multiple companies. Currently, Bert is deputy member of the Board of Catalisti, the Flemish spearhead cluster for chemistry and plastics, and board member of the Leuven Institute for Material Research (L-MRC).

Ekaterina Makshina

ekaterina.makshina@kuleuven.be

Ekaterina Makshina

Project Manager


Ekaterina obtained her PhD degree in 2007 in the frame of a cooperation agreement (“Co-tutelle”) between Moscow State University (Laboratory of Kinetics and Catalysis) and Littoral University (Laboratory of Catalysis and Environment) on the topic of oxidation of methanol and VOCs using supported oxide catalysts. Since 2010 she is working in the Center for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis (COK) at KU Leuven in the group of Prof. Bert Sels on synthesis of the important drop-in chemicals and polymer building blocks from biomass-derived feedstock.

Sander Van den Bosch

sander.vandenbosch@kuleuven.be

Sander Van den Bosch

Industrial research manager


Sander Van den Bosch obtained a PhD in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic technology) in 2017 at KU Leuven. During his PhD, under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels, he investigated the reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) of lignocellulosic biomass, with an emphasis on lignin valorisation. As a post-doctoral researcher, holding a VLAIO innovation mandate, he is currently occupied with the design and construction of a pilot-scale RCF-installation at TRANSfarm, and the realisation of a biorefinery technology platform, as a route towards bio-based aromatics in Flanders.


Sergio Calderón Ardila

sergio.calderon@kuleuven.be

Sergio Calderón Ardila

Postdoctoral researcher


After his BSc. in chemistry at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sergio worked as patent adviser in the private sector from 2010 until 2013. Later he obtained his MSc. in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at KU Leuven in 2015. The same year he joined imec as process engineer where he was involved in the development of chemical processes for manufacturing micro and nano-electronic devices with novel materials for future logic technologies. In 2018 he moved from imec to the group of Prof. Sels where he is doing a PhD investigating the catalytic conversion of saccharides into sulfide derivatives. In addition to science and technology, he likes reading novels, walking and cycling in the countryside, drinking beer and wine, cooking and traveling."


Thomas Nicolaï

thomas.nicolai@kuleuven.be

Thomas Nicolaï

Postdoctoral researcher


Thomas Nicolaï obtained a PhD in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at KU Leuven in 2022. His research focused on the construction of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell factory that enables the conversion of bio-based materials to the drop-in chemicals muconic acid and protocatechuic acid. After being employed in the group of Prof. Bert Sels in 2020, he is currently a post-doctoral researcher where his work is devoted to the biochemical conversion of the sugar components obtained after the RCF process as well as investigating the chemical modifications and conversion to side-product of these sugars.

Rashmi Singh

rashmi.singh@kuleuven.be

Rashmi Singh

Postdoctoral researcher


Rashmi Singh is a native of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. She obtained her Master’s degree in Chemistry from Banaras Hindu University in 2015, studying the synthesis of flexible tripodal molecules and their conformational studies.  She obtained her PhD degree from Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad under the supervision of Prof. Swapan Dey and cosupervision of Prof. Wim Dehaen, KU Leuven, Belgium. During her PhD, her research focused on the design and synthesis of novel heterocyclic molecules and their biological activity. At present, she works as a Postdoctoral scholar in Prof. Bert Sels group to synthesize safer dental materials from lignin-derived bisguaiacols. Apart from research, her interests are trekking, hiking, travelling to new places, clubbing and photography.




Laura Trullemans

laura.trullemans@kuleuven.be

Laura Trullemans

Postdoctoral researcher


After obtaining her MSc in Catalytic Technology (Bioscience Engineering) in 2017, Laura joined the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis at the KU Leuven. She finished her PhD entitled “A safe and sustainable bisphenol platform for high-performance thermoset materials” in August 2022 and published this work in journal Nature Sustainability (2023). To further valorize this novel technology, she has been granted an innovation mandate named “Aromatic Renewable Diols for tomorrow’s circular economy’ by VLAIO in July 2023. Next to her research interest, Laura loves to volunteer, dance, cook, eat, laugh and travel.

Aleksei Turkin

aleksei.turkin@kuleuven.be

Aleksei Turkin

Postdoctoral researcher


Aleksei obtained his MSc in Chemistry at the Lomonosov Moscow State University (Laboratory of Kinetics and Catalysis) in 2018. In his master's thesis, he investigated the low-temperature activation of methane for methanol production. Upon graduation, he joined the group of Prof. Bert Sels and started a PhD which was focused on biomass-derived HMF valorization during its reductive conversion. Currently, as a post-doctoral researcher in the team of Prof. Sels, he explores the production of sustainable aviation fuels from carbohydrate feedstock. Besides his scientific interests, he enjoys working out, playing table tennis & basketball, making chocolate, and playing saxophone

Jonathan Van Waeyenberg

jonathan.vanwaeyenberg@kuleuven.be

Jonathan Van Waeyenberg

PhD student


Jonathan Van Waeyenberg obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2018. He did his master thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of prof. Bert Sels, where he investigated the catalytic (hydro)cracking of LDPE using hierarchical zeolites. He is currently doing a PhD in the same research group on the degradation of recalcitrant plastics under mild conditions. In his free time, he likes hiking, travelling, mountaineering and climbing.




Xian Wu

xian.wu@kuleuven.be

Xian Wu

PhD student


Xian Wu obtained his MSc in Applied Chemistry at Shanghai University in 2018. He did master’s thesis at Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CAS), where he investigated the reaction mechanism of functionalized zeolites on the hydroisomerization of n-paraffin. He is currently doing a Ph.D. under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels. His interest focuses on obtaining platform chemicals from lignocellulose.

Cheng Zhou

cheng.zhou@kuleuven.be

Cheng Zhou

PhD student


Cheng Zhou received his BSc degree from the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, China in 2016. He made his master thesis on hydrogenation of syngas and carbon dioxides into aromatics in Prof. Ye Wang's group at Xiamen University, China. Now he is pursuing his PhD in KU Leuven under the guidance of Prof. Bert
Sels focusing on CO2 capture and utilization. In his spare time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and discovering the local foods and drinks

Wouter Arts

wouter.arts@kuleuven.be

Wouter Arts

PhD student


Wouter Arts obtained his MSc in Catalysis at KU Leuven in 2018. He investigated a novel synthesis method for desalination membranes under the guidance of Prof. Ivo Vankelecom during his thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis. In 2019, he completed a postgraduate program in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London (ICL) which focused on chemical process & product engineering, design, and optimization. During his thesis at ICL, he developed a process model to asses the potential of CO­2 adsorbents for CO2 capture and sequestration/utilization (CCSU) under the supervision of Dr. Camille Petit and Dr. David Danaci. His research in our group aims to develop a digital twin of a biomass fractionation process. Besides the daily supervision of Prof. Bert Sels (promotor), Wouter collaborates with PhD researchers from groups of co-promotor Prof. Wim Desmet and Prof. Karel Van Acker at the Faculty of Engineering Science.   Wouter enjoys playing the piano, attending music concerts, hiking in the wide-open nature and is a fervent football supporter of the Belgian team Genk. 


Brent Smeyers

brent.smeyers@kuleuven.be

Brent Smeyers

PhD student


Brent Smeyers obtained his MSc degree in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2019. He performed his master thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels and daily supervision of Laura Trullemans, where he explored the role of heterogeneous catalysis in the synthesis of safer bisphenol-A alternatives. He is currently doing a PhD in the same research group where he’s performing research on the role of catalysis in the selective depolymerization of plastic waste. Next to his research activities, he spends most of his weekends at teaching hip hop classes and training for dance competitions. In addition, he enjoys being with friends and family, to travel and to hang out at music festivals.

Michiel Aerts

michiel.aerts@kuleuven.be

Michiel Aerts

PhD student


Michiel Aerts obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2020. He performed his master's thesis at the Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering (CSCE) under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels, where he investigated the role of basic catalysis on the valorization of glycerol towards novel branched polyols. He is currently doing a PhD in the same research group, focusing on the catalytic conversion of plastic waste to chemicals as part of the WATCH project. Outside of scientific activities, a large part of his leisure time consists of cycling, running, and swimming. In addition, he enjoys hiking, reading and spending time with friends.

Florian Delabie

florian.delabie@kuleuven.be

Florian Delabie

PhD student


Florian Delabie received his MSc degree in bioscience engineering (Catalytic Technology) in 2020. His thesis was carried out at the Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels, in which he explored the valorisation of the hemicellulose fraction in the RCF biorefinery. During his PhD he will delve further into this topic within the same research group. His keen interest in science and nature can also be found in his passion for hiking and outdoor running, while the rest of his leisure time is spent on swimming, playing the drums and having a drink with friends.

Tessy Hendrickx

tessy.hendrickx@kuleuven.be

Tessy Hendrickx

PhD student



Tessy Hendrickx obtained her MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology with a major in Proces Technology) at KU Leuven University in 2020. In her master thesis, under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels, she investigated the structure-property relationship of lignin-based cyanate ester resins. She is currently doing a PhD in the same research group where she explores green and sustainable synthesis routes to form harmless RCF derived bisfenols and derivatives, and their UV-stabilizer and anti-oxidant properties. Apart from her interests in science, Tessy enjoys good food, travelling and spending time with friends.

Matthew Victor Hickson

matthewvictor.hickson@kuleuven.be

Matthew Victor Hickson

PhD student


Matthew Victor Hickson obtained his MSc degree in Nanoscience in 2019 at Nelson Mandela University. He is currently pursuing his PhD under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels, exploring the conversion of unsaturated acids into nitriles. Besides his interest in science, he enjoys music, cooking and exploring nature.

Hannes Latine

hannes.latine@kuleuven.be

Hannes Latine

PhD student


Hannes Latine obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering at KU Leuven in 2020, with a major in Catalytic Process Technology and a minor in Environmental Technology. During his master thesis, under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels and daily supervision of Dieter Ruijten, he explored a novel and environmental benign route towards lignin-derived polyamides. Fascinated by the concept of biomass conversion, he started a PhD at the Centre of Catalysis and Sustainable Engineering which focuses on the synthesis of advanced biofuels by means of a lignocellulose biorefinery. Next to his research activities, Hannes enjoys playing and watching sports (badminton, tennis, soccer, cycling, running), walking in nature, going to concerts and festivals, having a drink or dinner with friends of his youth movement.




Joost Matthijssen

joost.matthijssen@kuleuven.be

Joost Matthijssen

PhD student


Joost Matthijssen obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering – Catalytic Technology (major: Process Technology) at KU Leuven in 2020. He performed his master’s thesis at the Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering (CSCE) under the guidance of prof. Michiel Dusselier and daily supervision of Sergio Caldéron, where he investigated the catalytic conversion of saccharides into sulfide derivates. His thesis sparked his interest in research and led to the start of his own PhD, where he will focus on the design of oxidation catalysts for the valorization of glycerol as a waste product of oleochemistry. Besides being in the lab, he likes watching sports (football & F1), going for a run or walk in Leuven, playing games with friends, and his coffee breaks.

Louis-Thibault Opsommer

louisthibault.opsommer@kuleuven.be

Louis-Thibault Opsommer


Louis-Thibault received his MSc in Catalytic Science and Technology at KU Leuven in 2020. During his master thesis at cMACS (centre for Membrane Separations, Adsorption, Catalysis and Spectroscopy for Sustainable Solutions), he explored the greenness of transition metal-catalysed electrophilic amination of aromatic compounds, which was supervised by prof. Dirk De Vos. Following his interests in green organic chemistry, he applied as PhD student for an interdisciplinary project between the research groups of Bert Sels, Kevin Verstrepen, Jan Michiels and IMEC. During this project, he will investigate chemocatalytic pathways for bio-based platform chemicals such as ketoacids, aldehydes and fatty acids. Louis-Thibault likes to spend his free time with family, traveling, hiking, reading, playing card and video games.

Zhang Yingtuan

yingtuan.zhang@kuleuven.be

Zhang Yingtuan


Yingtuan Zhang received his BSc degree in material science from North China Electric Power University. In 2019, he obtained his MSc degree in polymer chemistry and physics from Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. During his master, he developed a deep interest in biomass utilization and bio-based materials. Currently, he is doing a PhD under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels with support from Guangzhou Elite Program. His research focuses on the valorization of lignin oligomers and the synthesis of novel bio-based polymers. Next to science, he also enjoys traveling, cycling, and photographing.

Khaled Al-Shwafy

khaledalshwafy@kuleuven.be

Khaled Al-Shwafy

PhD Student


Khaled Al-Shwafy received his BSc degree from Tianjin University, China in 2020. He was then awarded Erasmus Mundus scholarship, “Bioceb program” where he obtained triple master degrees in biology and agriscience, Science of engineering and Master in Bioengineering from Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Tallinn University of Technology, and University of Liege, respectively. He performed his master thesis at URD-ABI, France, where he worked to optimize the enzymatic extraction and purification of ferulic acid from brewer’s spent grain. For his PhD, he won a Marie Skłodowska Curie position in Talent4BBI program in cooperation with SAPPI, a paper and packaging company. His PhD work aims to valorize the pulp produced by Reductive Catalytica Fractionation “RCF” technology into papers, packaging, textiles and more. Apart from his academic life, Khaled likes creative writing, traveling and  playing football.

Alex Heyer

alexander.heyer@kuleuven.be

Alex Heyer

PhD Student


Alex Heyer obtained his BS in Chemistry from the University of Virginia in 2018. He started his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry at Stanford University in 2018 researching methane oxidation by copper and iron zeolites. This work is part of a collaboration between the labs of Prof. Edward Solomon at Stanford University and Prof. Bert Sels at KU Leuven. Alex is currently a visiting researcher at KUL in the Sels lab as part of his PhD. In his free time, Alex likes to spend time with friends, run, read, and volunteer.

Katelijne Lagae

katelijne.lagae@kuleuven.be

Katelijne Lagae

PhD Student


Katelijne Lagae obtained her MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2023. During her master’s thesis, under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels and daily supervisor Wouter Arts, she investigated the kinetics of reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) by fitting a kinetic model for lignin fractionation to experimental data. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in the same research group, where she will focus on the development of a distillation process for the separation of lignin-based phenolics. In her leisure time, Katelijne enjoys hiking, travelling, volunteering at Akabe, playing flute and saxophone, and windsurfing.

Jing Ma

jing.ma@kuleuven.be

Jing Ma

PhD Student


Jing Ma obtained her MSc in Chemical System Engineering at The University of Tokyo in 2021. She did her master’s thesis under the supervision of prof. Masaru Ogura and guidance of Takahiko Moteki, where she investigated Al distribution and catalytic performance of ZSM-5 in MTO reaction. She is currently doing a PhD under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels, exploring low concentration methane abatement with copper exchanged zeolites. Besides her scientific interests, she likes hiking, playing switch games and watching movies.

Thomas Narmon

thomas.narmon@kuleuven.be

Thomas Narmon

PhD student


Thomas Narmon obtained his MSc degree in Chemistry at the KU Leuven in 2019. He performed his master thesis at the Laboratory of Organic and Microwave-Assisted Chemistry of Prof. Erik Van der Eycken, where he investigated the usage of Gold(I) complexes for catalyzing advanced cyclization reactions of multi-component adducts, within the scheme of alkaloid-like drug design. After graduating, he has worked as a Research and Teaching Assistant in Pharmaceutical (Neuro)sciences for 2 years at the University of Brussels. Currently, he is doing a PhD within the research group of Bert Sels, exploring the synthesis of lignin-derived amines towards functionalized polymer applications. Apart from scientific work and interests, Thomas practices martial arts such as fencing, plays musical instruments and loves cuddling with cats, reading books and repairing phones and computers.

Bruno Pandalone

bruno.pandalone@kuleuven.be

Bruno Pandalone

PhD student


Bruno Pandalone obtained his MSc in Chemical Engineering at the University of Naples Federico II in 2021. He did his master thesis at Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam (Germany) in the group of ‘Biorefinery and sustainable chemistry group’ under the guidance of Dr. Majd Al-Naji and Francesco Brandi. His thesis entitled ‘Continuous Catalytic Flow Valorization Of Lignocellulosic Biomass Towards Lignin – Derived Monomers’ focused on creating a continuous flow system to valorize biomass waste via the RCF process. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in the group of Bert Sels, focusing on biomass valorization towards advanced liquid bio-fuels. Next to his research activity, he enjoys running, playing football, watching movies, cooking and playing video games.

René Rodrigues

rene.rodrigues@kuleuven.be

René Rodrigues


René completed an apprenticeship as a laboratory technician in 2012 in Hamburg and continued to work as a product developer of adhesive tapes for the electronics industry in Germany. 

Following that, he pursued his BSc. in Chemistry at Paderborn University in Germany and consequently worked in the pharmaceutical industry until 2021. In 2023 René completed his master’s thesis on the topic of ‘New Ways of Modifying Dialdehyde-Cellulose into Thermoplastics’ at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna and obtained his MSc. in ‘Molecular Science and Engineering’ from the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon. 

At the end of 2023, he moved to Belgium to pursue his PhD at the ‘Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering’ (CSCE) under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Bert Sels, focusing on process analytics to create a more fundamental understanding of the RCF process and within, create instrumental analytical methodologies to analyse the lignin product quality output. 

His PhD is a collaboration with the University of Maastricht, where René will be joining the group ‘Analytics in System Imaging’ focusing on the development of new mass spectrometry-based methodologies to profile the RCF lignin oligomers.

Besides that, he likes movies, backgammon, working out in the gym and watching sports (mostly football and mixed martial arts).

Sajan Sivanandan

sajan.sivanandan@kuleuven.be

Sajan Sivanandan

PhD student


Sajan Sivanandan is from Kerala, India. He obtained his bachelor’s in chemistry from Calicut university in 2019. He did master’s in Biopolymer Science from CIPET(Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology)-IPT, Kochi which is affiliated with CUSAT(Cochin University of Science and Technology) in 2022. He did his master thesis work at IICT(Indian Institute of Science and Technology) under the supervision of Dr. Pratyay Basak and the co-supervision of Dr. Kesavarao Sykam. For the thesis work, he focused on the synthesis and characterization of non-halogenated, phosphorus, and triazole-containing castor oil- based flame retardant polyurethanes. He joined the group of Prof. Bert Sels in 2023 at KU Leuven as PhD fellow and his work will be devoted to catalytic recycling of polystyrene.   

Besides his scientific interests, he likes reading books, watching movies, series, and sports, listening to music, and playing football.

Hendrik Van Leuven

hendrik.vanleuven@kuleuven.be

Hendrik Van Leuven

PhD Student


Hendrik obtained his MSc degree in Bioscience Engineering (Option Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2023. He performed his master thesis at the Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering (CSCE) under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels with daily supervision of Brent Smeyers. Here he investigated the catalytic pyrolysis of PE. In his PhD, he will again focus on catalytic pyrolysis with the aim of valorising low value post-consumer plastic waste into feedstocks suitable for integration in the chemical industry. Outside of these scientific activities, he enjoys running, where his big ambition is to run a marathon.

Toon Van Vaerenbergh

toon.vanvaerenbergh@kuleuven.be

Toon Van Vaerenbergh

PhD student


Toon Van Vaerenbergh obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2021. With great interest in green chemistry, he did his master thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of prof. Bert Sels, where he investigated the activation of nitrous oxide and oxygen with Fe-exchanged zeolite catalysts. He is currently doing a PhD in the same research group on the conversion of plastic waste to carbon nanofibers and hydrogen gas. Besides his scientific interests, he likes playing football, hiking and travelling.

Dario Vangestel

dario.vangestel@kuleuven.be

Dario Vangestel

PhD Student


Dario Vangestel obtained his MSc degree in Bioscience Engineering (Major: Catalytic Process Technology, Minor: Environmental Technology) at KU Leuven in 2023. He performed his master thesis at the Centre for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering (CSCE) under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels and daily supervision of Hannes Latine, where he investigated the synthesis of Sustainable Air Fuels (SAF) from lignin and carbohydrate derived monomers. He is currently doing a PhD in the same research group, where he explores the photocatalytic synthesis of renewable bisphenol-A alternatives. Next to his scientific interests, Dario likes driving cars, going on road trips, watching motorsports (rally & GT3), playing video games, spending time with friends, and playing bass guitar.

Simon Verstraeten

simon.verstraeten@kuleuven.be

Simon Verstraeten

PhD Student


Simon received his B.Sc. in Bioengineering from UCLouvain (Belgium) in 2019. He then moved to Switzerland to pursue a M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering at EPFL, from which he graduated in 2022. As part of this program, he undertook two 6-months internships in the industry where he performed kinetic analyses for reaction optimization, and participated in the development of catalysts for plastic hydrocracking. To complete his Master’s Thesis, he joined Prof. Pérez-Ramirez’s group at ETH Zürich where he investigated ZnZrOx catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. In September 2022, he started his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Bert Sels at KU Leuven, focusing on the design of heterogeneous catalysts for innovative acetic acid-to-acrylic acid transformation. During his free time, he enjoys running, playing tennis, music, and spending time with friends.

Support Staff

-@kuleuven.be

Support Staff

Support Staff


Walter Vermandel - walter.vermandel@kuleuven.be

Ben Wambacq - ben.wambacq@kuleuven.be

Giel Dreezen - giel.dreezen@kuleuven.be

Wouters Werner - werner.wouters@kuleuven.be

Maes Johan - j.maes@kuleuven.be

Devos Inge - inge.devos@kuleuven.be

Van Deynse Birgit - birgit.vandeynse@kuleuven.be

Pauwels Katrien - katrien.pauwels@kuleuven.be

Thesis students 2023-2024

-@student.kuleuven.be

Thesis students 2023-2024


Wout De Meyere - Daily Supervisor: Louis-Thibault Opsommer

Christophe Conrad - Daily Supervisor: Brent Smeyers / Zhenlei Zhang

Seppe Van Dyck  - Daily Supervisor: Wouter Arts / Sander Van den Bosch

Senne Delanghe - Daily Supervisor: Bruno Pandalone / Deepak Raikwar

Arthur Remans - Daily Supervisor: Hannes Latine

Janne Van Laer  - Daily Supervisor: Laura Trullemans

Louise Van der Vorst - Daily Supervisor: Tessy Hendrickx

Thomas Smits - Daily Supervisor: Michiel Aerts

Forier Eline - Daily Supervisor: Rashmi Singh

Alaa Al-Naji (Erasmus)  - Daily Supervisor: Francesco Brandi

Alumni

Joost Van Aelst

joost.vanaelst@kuleuven.be

Joost Van Aelst

Industrial research manager


Joost Van Aelst obtained his PhD degree in Bioscience Engineering at KU Leuven in 2016, under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels. During his PhD, he studied the hierarchization of USY zeolites with NH4OH and its effect on catalysis for biomass conversions. In 2017, he was granted a KU Leuven Postdoctoral Mandate on the integration of zeolite catalysis in oleochemical refinery processes. Since 2018 he is holding an Innovation Mandate from VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship) on RCF-biorefining of lignocellulosic biomass. He coordinates the BioCon upscaling facility and all industrial collaborations, technology & business developments towards a novel biorefinery in Flanders.

Shaotao Bai

shaotao.bai@kuleuven.be

Shaotao Bai

Postdoctoral researcher


Shaotao Bai, born in Shaanxi, obtained his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and master’s degree in chemical biology with honors in 2013 and 2015, respectively, at Peking University. Afterward, he got a PhD scholarship from Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) and part funding from the University of Amsterdam to join the group of prof. Joost Reek to expand his expertise in the context of supramolecular transition metal catalysis. As demonstrated by the outcome of the efforts made to the end of his PhD research, he gained fundamental knowledge and advanced training in (homogeneous) catalysis, spectroscopy, supramolecular chemistry, DFT calculations and kinetic studies in the context of many (applied) processes, such as hydroformylation, hydrogenation and CH activations. He has published five papers in Chemical Science, Angewandte Chemie, Chemical communications and four more papers in preparation. Also, he has given many oral and poster presentations in (inter)national conferences. After obtaining his PhD in December 2019, he moved to heterogeneous catalysis as a postdoctoral researcher focusing on CO2 capture and utilization with prof. Bert Sels in the Center for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis (COK) at KU Leuven. His research interests across multidisciplinary fields of materials science, (bio-inspired) homo- & heterogeneous catalysis, supramolecular chemistry, spectroscopy, bio-renewable chemicals, computational catalysis, CO2 transformation, direct CH functionalization, kinetics, and electro- and photo-chemistry. Besides chemistry, he enjoys running, reading, and hiking, and organizing trips for family and friends.

Bert Boekaerts

bert.boekaerts@kuleuven.be

Bert Boekaerts

Postdoctoral researcher


Bert Boekaerts obtained his MSc degree in Bioscience Engineering at KU Leuven (Belgium) in 2015 with a major in Catalytic Technology and a minor in Bionanotechnology. He completed his master thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels, where he investigated the conversion of oleochemical biomass to green fuels. As a FWO-funded fellow, he is currently doing a PhD in the same research group. In general, his project focuses on the valorization of (waste stream) oleochemical biomass towards renewable chemicals via heterogeneous catalysis. More specifically his expertise lies in (bio)lubricants. He is also involved in the BIOWAX project, a FISCH-ICON research collaboration (IWT) with several industrial partners. Outside of scientific activities, a large part of his leisure time consists of futsal, swimming, running and going out for dinner/drinks. He also loves going to (foreign) music festivals.

Francesco Brandi

francesco.brandi@kuleuven.be

Francesco Brandi

Postdoctoral researcher


Francesco Brandi studied Chemistry in Florence, Italy, where he obtain his Msc degree in 2018. In 2019, He joined the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, in Germany, as PhD student under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Markus Antonietti and Dr. Majd Al-Naji. His PhD thesis focused on the synthesis of novel catalytic systems for the upgrading of lignocellulosic biomass in flow systems.  In 2022. He joined the Sels’ group to work on catalytic valorization of lignin-derived molecules. Beside research, he likes playing and watching sports, learning new languages, and hang out with friends.

Kevin Bruyninckx

kevin.bruyninckx@kuleuven.be

Kevin Bruyninckx

Postdoctoral researcher


Kevin has a MSc in Chemistry (KU Leuven, 2011). He obtained his PhD in Chemistry in 2016 being part of a multidisciplinary team working on improving gluten-based bioplastic. His skillset ranges from organic and polymer synthesis to analysis of biomacromolecules and the evaluation of material properties. In our team, he has been involved in the synthesis of PLA-based polymers for the production of tailored biodegradable packaging.

Apart from his excellent scientific expertise, he is also part of a medal-winning skydiving team, investor in cryptocurrencies (never sell xrp) and enthusiastic cat-lover.

Larisha Cisneros Reyes

larisha.cisneros@kuleuven.be

Larisha Cisneros Reyes

Postdoctoral researcher


Larisha Cisneros obtained her PhD in Sustainable Chemistry in 2017 under the guiadance of Prof. Avelino Corma at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ, Valencia). During her PhD she worked on Supported Metals for Synthesis of Nitrones and Ethylene Adsorption in Air streams. In 2018 she was working as a post-doctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Johannes Lercher in TU Munich in the project of Synthesis of small pore zeolites for SCR of DeNOx. She moved to the group of Prof. Bert Sels in 2019, where she is studying the catalytic gas-phase production of lactide from renewable alkyl lactates. In her free time she likes travelling, running and reading classic novels.


Martin d'Halluin

martin.dhalluin@zeopore.com

Martin d'Halluin

Postdoctoral researcher


Martin obtained his Master degree (2013) from the University of Bordeaux where he worked under the supervision of Prof. Astruc on metathesis reaction and the preparation of supported organometallic catalysts. Then, he moved to Nantes University to prepare his PhD (2013-2016) under the supervision of Prof. Felpin and Dr. Le Grognec. During this period he worked on the preparation of paper-based devices with applications in different domains such as anti-counterfeit marking, supported sensors and water decontamination. Late 2016, he switched from organic to inorganic materials and is working in the group of Prof. Sels at the KU Leuven on post-synthetic modification of zeolite and their applications in catalysis. In 2018, he moved to Zeopore Technologies NV (a KU Leuven spin-off) to work as Development Engineer. Zeopore is a start-up company based on IP developed in the group of Prof. Sels and aims to bring highly mesoporous zeolite to the oil refining industry. His research interests are in the field of material modifications (organic & inorganic), catalysis and organic synthesis.

Aron Deneyer

aron.deneyer@kuleuven.be

Aron Deneyer

Postdoctoral researcher


Aron obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic technology) at the KU Leuven in 2014. As an IWT-funded fellow, he obtained his PhD in 2018 under the guidance of Prof. Sels and Prof. Dusselier at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis. His research focused on biomass conversion and especially the catalytic valorization of sugar streams towards drop-in chemicals (5 first-author publications, including one in Nature Energy). As a postdoctoral researcher, Aron aims to develop a new reactor platform for zeolite synthesis. 

Ghinwa Fayad

ghinwa.fayad@kuleuven.be

Ghinwa Fayad

Postdoctoral researcher


Ghinwa obtained her Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Caen University (France) in December 2018. During her PhD, several layered materials based on transition metal oxides (such as HNbMoO6, HNbWO6, H2W2O7 and H2WO4) were extensively characterized, notably by Raman spectroscopy (in the solid phase to monitor their structure and in the liquid phase to examine their intercalation property), as well as by Powder X-ray diffraction. In addition, their catalytic activity was evaluated in the cyclodehydration of 2,5-hexanediol into 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran. In 2019-2021, she performed postdoctoral work at the Laboratory of Catalysis and Spectrochemistry (LCS) Caen-France, studying the catalytic activity of synthesized Cu-ZSM-5 zeolites. Recently, she joined Prof. Bert Sels group at KU Leuven as a postdoctoral researcher and her work will be devoted to the catalytic conversion of butanediol into butadiene.

Paola Ferrini

paola.ferrini@kuleuven.be

Paola Ferrini

Postdoctoral researcher


Paola obtained her MSc in Chemistry at the Universita degli Studi in Milan (2011), after which she moved to Germany to undertake doctoral studies at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (Mülheim an der Ruhr). She Completed her PhD on catalytic upstream biorefining of lignocellulosic biomass in 2016, afterwards she joined the group of Prof. Sels for 2  years. Here she was involved in projects involving the use of commercial or modified zeolites for conversion of biogenic molecules (e.g. zeolite-catalyzed synthesis of bisphenols, Sn-beta materials for Baeyer-Villiger oxidation). 

Other than science, her interests involve Sci-Fi and superhero movies, knitting, running, Belgian beer and talk about the beauties of Italy. 

Steven-Friso Koelewijn

stef.koelewijn@kuleuven.be

Steven-Friso Koelewijn

Postdoctoral researcher


Steven-Friso Koelewijn obtained his PhD degree in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven (Belgium) in 2019. During his PhD, under the guidance of prof. Bert F. Sels, he investigated the safety-driven molecular design of benign bisphenols from biomass, by implementing a concept of ‘safety by natural design’. As a postdoctoral researcher, he currently explores the full potential of the newly developed platform of bio-renewable and safer bisphenols, in strong collaboration with companies. His research interests include green chemistry, catalysis, biomass, and toxicological and polymer chemistry.

Navneet Kumar Gupta

navneetkumar.gupta@kuleuven.be

Navneet Kumar Gupta

Postdoctoral researcher


Navneet Kumar Gupta obtained his B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of Delhi, India, and then received his dual Master’s degrees from the University of Delhi, India (M.Tech. in Chemical Synthesis & Process Technologies) and from JAIST, Japan (M.S. in Materials Science). He received Ph.D. degree in Chemistry (Catalysis) from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. His experience includes two years of postdoctoral research at the Institute for Catalysis, Hokkaido University, Japan. Currently, he is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium in the group of Professor Bert Sels. His field of study is heterogenous catalysis with an emphasis on materials development for bio-based drop-in chemicals production.

He has received several awards and scholarships, including outstanding M.S. thesis award at JAIST, Japan in 2011.


Yuhe Liao

yuhe.liao@kuleuven.be

Yuhe Liao

Postdoctoral researcher


Yuhe Liao obtained his MSc in Engineering at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2014. He did his master’s thesis at Guangzhou institute of Energy Conversion where he explored catalytic conversion of cellulose into polyols. He is currently in the progress of finishing his PhD degree under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels. His general interest focuses on catalytic conversion of lignocellulose into base chemicals with highest degree of fundamental understanding.

Sara Navarro Jaén

sara.navarrojaen@kuleuven.be

Sara Navarro Jaén


Sara obtained her PhD in Science and Technology of New Materials at the University of Seville, Spain (2019). Her PhD was focused on the development of phosphate-supported catalysts for the purification of hydrogen feeds through the Water-Gas Shift reaction and the elucidation of the reaction mechanism. After her PhD she moved to Lille, France, where she investigated the use of bifunctional catalysts for the conversion of anthropogenic CO2 into dimethyl ether (2019-2021) and subsequently, in the development of inversed core-shell catalysts for the valorization of biomass-derived platform molecules (2021-2022). In 2022 she joined Prof. Sels group, where she is working in atmospheric methane abatement using zeolites. Besides her scientific interests she enjoys music, cooking and traveling.

Dieter Plessers

dieter.plessers@kuleuven.be

Dieter Plessers

Postdoctoral researcher


Dieter obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2017. He did his master thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of prof. Bert Sels, where he investigated the selective oxidation of methane to methanol with Cu- and Fe-exchanged zeolite catalysts. As an FWO-funded fellow, he obtained a PhD focusing on the spectroscopic identification of active copper species on copper exchanged zeolites, that can activate methane at low temperatures. This topic continues to be his primary research interest as a postdoctoral researcher.

Guillaume Pomalaza

guillaume.pomalaza@kuleuven.be

Guillaume Pomalaza

Postdoctoral researcher


Guillaume Pomalaza is from Montreal, Canada. He obtained his BSc in chemistry for the University of Montreal (2014). He obtained his MSc from the Ecole Centrale of Lille in the field of catalysis and process design (2015). During a 6-month stay in the University of Hokkaido, he studied the synthesis of silica-alumina-phosphate catalysts for the conversion of ethanol to propylene under the supervision of Pr. Kenichi Shimizu. Later, Guillaume received his PhD from the University of Lille (2019) under the supervision of Pr. Franck Dumeignil and Dr. Mickaël Capron. His doctoral thesis centered on the development of new heterogeneous catalysts of the ethanol-to-butadiene reaction. As a postdoctoral researcher in Pr. Bert Sels’ group, he focuses on the conversion of methyl lactate to lactide.

Cristina Pontes Bittencourt Quitete

Cristina.Pontesbittencourtquitete@kuleuven.be

Cristina Pontes Bittencourt Quitete

Postdoctoral researcher


Cristina Quitete (Petrobras R&D, Brazil) is visiting our group for six months. She has been working on Petrobras-CENPES since 2002, carrying out studies on renewable energy, focusing on catalyst’s development. Cenpes is the R&D center of Petrobras, it is among in the largest in the world in applied research to the energy industry. Created in 1963, its mission is to provide and anticipate solutions with a vision of innovation and sustainability that support Petrobras System. This short mission will help to advance the development of technologies associated with the low carbon economy, through fostering collaboration, sharing experiences and new techniques.

Gert Preegel

gert.preegel@kuleuven.be

Gert Preegel

Postdoctoral researcher


Gert Preegel obtained his PhD degree in organic chemistry (organocatalysis) at Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia) in 2016. During his PhD he investigated different asymmetric organocatalytic methods in the valorization of biomass derived molecules. After his PhD, he worked 3 years as a head of industrial chemistry laboratory on an industry-related project on the topic of selective oxidation of oil shale. As a postdoctoral researcher, he now explores the recyclability of biomass derived polycarbonates and their derivates. In his spare time, he enjoys music, dance, and hiking in nature.


Deepak Raikwar

deepak.raikwar@kuleuven.be

Deepak Raikwar

Postdoctoral researcher


In 2020, Deepak Raikwar obtained his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, India under the guidance of Dr. Debaprasad Shee and Dr. Saptarshi Majumdar. During his Ph.D., he investigated the catalytic depolymerization of Kraft Lignin and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of lignin-derived monomers to high-value platform chemicals. Currently, he is a post-doctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Bert Sels, where he is understanding solubility and depolymerization of various lignins, up-gradation of lignin-derived oils to value-added platform chemicals. His other interest includes music, exploring new places, cooking, and outdoor activities.

Fatima Rammal

fatima.rammal@kuleuven.be

Fatima Rammal

Postdoctoral researcher


Fatima obtained her master's degree in organic chemistry at the University of Paris Saclay in France, and then moved to Normandy to do her PhD at the "Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieur" of Caen. During her Ph.D., she developed a visible light mediated aromatization reaction of polycyclic compounds as well as novel photocatalytic approaches for the functionalization of N-heteroarenes using several non-activated radical precursors such as alkane, methanol, silane as well as [1.1.1]propellane used as a bioisostere of benzene. After defending her Ph.D. in December 2020, Fatima received the best Ph.D. thesis award in northern France. Currently, she is currently a post-doc researcher in the group of Prof. Bert Sels in KU Leuven university to explore the heterogeneous catalysis in the synthesis of high value-added molecules.

Tom Renders

tom.renders@kuleuven.be

Tom Renders

Postdoctoral researcher


Tom obtained his PhD degree in Bioscience Engineering at KU Leuven in 2018, under the guidance of prof. Bert Sels. During his PhD, he investigated the catalytic biorefining of lignocellulosic biomass according to the lignin-first principle. As a post-doctoral researcher, Tom aims to develop new biomass-to-chemical value chains, with a strong emphasis on lignin valorisation.

José Luis Santos Muñoz

joseluis.santosmunoz@kuleuven.be

José Luis Santos Muñoz

Postdoctoral researcher


José Luis Santos did his end-of-degree work in Professor Odriozola's laboratories in Seville (2013), on obtaining highly active mixed laminated oxides (hydrotalcites) for cleaning hydrogen streams for its uses in fuel cells. After this, he did his master's degree (2013-2014) in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. In particular, focused on the development of biochars coming from organic wastes as eco-friendly catalyst for low carbon energy processes.During his doctoral thesis (2015-2019), Jose Luis focused on relevant reactions such as the Water Gas Shift Reaction (WGSR), the selectivity of formic acid dehydrogenation, the upgrading of bio-oils via hydrodeoxygenation reactions (HDO) as well as catalytic conversion of sugar to added value alcohols.In 2020 he landed in Professor Bert Sels' group, where he is currently dedicating his research to gas-phase reactions of industrial interest.

In his spare time, he likes to play basketball, spent time with family and friends, enjoys listening to Cadiz´carnival and walk around the countryside breathing clean air.


Ivan Scodeller

ivan.scodeller@kuleuven.be

Ivan Scodeller

Postdoctoral researcher


Ivan obtained his MSc in Organic Chemistry at University of Florence, Italy (2013). He then moved to France, where he obtained his PhD degree in 2018. He was engaged in a cooperation agreement between University of Poitiers and Solvay centred on the synthesis of renewable meta‐aromatics from biomass‐derived furanic compounds. In 2019 he joined the group of Bert Sels, where he is currently working on the conversion of sugar-based streams to new chemicals.

Putla Sudarsanam

putla.sudarsanam@kuleuven.be

Putla Sudarsanam

Postdoctoral researcher


Dr. Putla Sudarsanam obtained his PhD in chemistry at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (Hyderabad, India) in 2015. He is a Marie Curie individual post-doc fellow in Prof. Sels’ group, COK centre, KU Leuven, and mainly working on the topic of designing nanostructured metal oxide based catalysts for the reductive fractionation of renewable lignocellulosic biomass to lignin-derived platform chemicals and valorisable carbohydrates. He has contributed over 42 refereed journal articles and 1 book chapter. He has in excess of 1120 citations with an h-index of 22 and an i10-index of 29. His expertise is mainly designing novel nanostructured metal oxide based catalysts for i) selective conversion of organic molecules to useful chemicals; ii) transformation of renewable biomass feedstocks to value-added fine chemicals and bio-fuels and iii) purification of auto-exhaust pollutants (e.g., carbon monoxide, soot particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides).

Ruiyan Sun

ruiyan.sun@kuleuven.be

Ruiyan Sun

Postdoctoral researcher


Ruiyan Sun, received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2016 in the field of catalytic valorization of cellulose to polyols. From 2016 to 2019, he performed the postdoctoral research at RWTH Aachen with Prof. Regina Palkovits on the development of bifunctional catalysts for the catalytic upgrading of methanol to clean synthetic-fuels. Since November 2019, he moved to the group of Prof. Bert Sels as a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven engaging in developing new materials and routes for heterogeneous reduction of CO2.

Korneel Van Aelst

korneel.vanaelst@kuleuven.be

Korneel Van Aelst

Postdoctoral researcher


Korneel Van Aelst obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2017. He did his master’s thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels, where he investigated the reductive amination of lignin derived molecules. He is currently doing a PhD on the valorization of lignin in the same research group, funded by the FWO-SBO BIOWOOD project. Besides his science related interests, he loves a variety of sports, music, nature and a nice day with friends.

Thijs Vangeel

thijs.vangeel@kuleuven.be

Thijs Vangeel

Postdoctoral researcher


Thijs Vangeel obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU
Leuven in 2016. He did his master thesis in the group of prof. Bert F. Sels, where he explored reductive catalytic fractionation as a biorefinery concept. As a FWO-SB funded fellow, he is currently doing his PhD on exploring alternative biomass sources for the reductive catalytic fractionation. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling, surfing (whenever possible) and playing ultimate Frisbee.

Danny Verboekend

danny.verboekend@kuleuven.be

Danny Verboekend

Postdoctoral researcher


Danny Verboekend obtained his PhD at ETH Zurich (Switzerland, 2012) on the preparation and exploitation of hierarchical zeolite catalysts. Afterwards, he continued to work at the same university in the context of a post-doctoral stay (2012–2014). He was working at the KULeuven (Belgium) as a FWO-funded post-doctoral fellow (2014-2018) on the application of tailor-made crystalline and amorphous aluminosilicates in biomass conversions. Currently, he is active in Zeopore Technologies NV (a KULeuven spin-off), which aims to commercialize technology developed within the group of Prof. Bert Sels on the synthesis of superior mesoporous zeolites. His general research interest focuses on combining applied and sustainable research with the highest degree of fundamental understanding.

Kseniia Vikanova

kseniia.vikanova@kuleuven.be

Kseniia Vikanova

Postdoctoral researcher


Kseniia received her PhD degree in 2020 in Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of Russian academy of sciences on the topic of selective hydrogenation of aldehydes, ketones and nitro compounds on platinum catalysts based on cerium-contained supports. She joined the group of Prof. Bert Sels in 2022 at KU Leuven as a postdoctoral researcher and her work will be devoted to catalytic cracking of polypropylene.

Xuejiao Wu

xuejiao.wu@student.kuleuven.be

Xuejiao Wu

Postdoctoral researcher


Xuejiao Wu received her B.S. degree (2015) from Xiamen University and obtained her Ph.D. degree (2020) from Xiamen University under the supervision of Prof. Ye Wang. She then carried out postdoctoral research at Prof. Bert Sels group at KU Leuven. She is currently working on the valorization of lignin by photocatalytic approaches. In her free time, she likes traveling and watching movies.

Zhenlei Zhang

zhenlei.zhang@kuleuven.be

Zhenlei Zhang

Postdoctoral researcher


Zhenlei Zhang received his master’s degree at the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Yi Nie and Prof. Suojiang Zhang in 2017. In the same year, he moved to the University of Groningen to pursue his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Peter J. Deuss and Prof. Hero J. Heeres. His PhD research focused on the catalytic valorization of lignin, including both the improvement of existing methods and the development of new approaches for lignin valorization. Thesis was titled “Making the most of lignin by catalytic depolymerization”. He then started a postdoctoral position at the University of Groningen working on the ex-situ catalytic pyrolysis of paper sludge into bio-based fuels/chemicals in strong collaboration with industrial partners. In 2022, he joined Prof. Sels' group to develop robust catalytic systems for the valorization of post-consumer plastics. Besides research, he enjoys spending time with friends, playing badminton, and traveling.

Shengfei Zhou

-@kuleuven.be

Shengfei Zhou

Postdoctoral researcher


Shengfei Zhou obtained his PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) in 2015, with Prof. Troy Runge being his advisor. His PhD study was focusing on biomass characterization, pretreatment, and conversion by biological methods. 

He worked as a Postdoc at the UW-Madison on pulping of genetically modified wood and integrated biorefining of wood for high grade fiber, chemical, and material usage, with Prof. Troy Runge, John Ralph, James Dumesic, and Dr. David Alonso. Later, he worked as a Department Manager in a private company on analysis of bio-based materials and biorefining samples. 

Being a Postdoc Fellow at the Sels group, he is focusing on biomass (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) characterization and conversion for valuable products. 

In his after work hours, he enjoys rock climbing, skiing, hiking, traveling, playing basketball, tennis, badminton, and so on. 


Max Bols

max.bols@kuleuven.be

Max Bols

Postdoctoral researcher


Max received his B.S. and M.S. in bioscience engineering at the KU Leuven in 2015, doing his master’s thesis on the identification of the active site in iron zeolites for methane activation. Upon graduation, he started a Ph.D. with Prof. Bert Sels on the synthesis, kinetics, and spectroscopic characterization of transition metal active sites in zeolites, funded by FWO. This research runs in close collaboration with researchers in KU Leuven's computational coordination chemistry group and Stanford University's chemistry department.

Rik De Clercq

rik.declercq@kuleuven.be

Rik De Clercq

PhD student


Rik obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2013. He then started a PhD as an IWT-funded fellow under supervision of Prof. Sels and Prof. Dusselier, which he obtained in November 2017. His research focused on developing new catalytic processes for bio-based polyester building blocks. His results have been published in Angewandte Chemie and have resulted in a patent application. Aside from science, his interests lie in playing squash, hiking and travelling.

After his PhD, Rik moved to Copenhagen and is currently working for one year at Haldor Topsoe as a Research Scientist in the Sustainable Chemicals lab.

Roosje Ooms

roosje.ooms@kuleuven.be

Roosje Ooms

Technical staff


Roos has a MSc in Chemical Engineering Technology. She completed her master thesis in the group of Prof. Sels where she investigated the pretreatment of cellulose. This triggered her curiosity and after graduation at group T in 2009, she joined the team as technical staff. Apart from working out some research projects concerning biomass conversion, she makes sure that the analytical equipment functions and she tries to make the lab a safe working place. Next to her scientific interests, she likes to explore biomass outside by walking, hiking or climbing. When not enjoying outdoor sports, she participates a yoga session or works out a knitting project.

Saleh Aghakhani

mohammadsaleh.aghakhani@kuleuven.be

Saleh Aghakhani

PhD student


Saleh Aghakhani obtained his M.Sc in Chemical Engineering (minor in Catalysis and Reaction Engineering) at University of Tehran (Iran) in 2010. He completed his M.Sc thesis at catalysis and nanostructured research laboratory (CANS) on synthesis and characterization of core/shellzeolite based materials for enhancing of residue FCC catalyst. Afterwards, he worked at CANS as a research assistant and involved in several industrial projects (FCC catalyst scale up, Catalyst-based CO and CH4 gas sensor). He started his PhD at KU Leuven in 2013 under the supervision of Prof. Peter Lievens and Prof. Bert F. Sels. He is currently in the progress of finishing his PhD founded by FWO on structural to opto-chemical properties of few atom Ag
clusters confined in zeolites. His main research interest is atomic-scale structure to property relationship towards advanced materials design by using advanced spectroscopic techniques.

Simon Hallaert

simon.hallaert@kuleuven.be

Simon Hallaert

PhD student


Simon Hallaert obtained his MSc in Chemistry at KU Leuven in 2014. He did his master thesis under the guidance of Prof. Kristine Pierloot (supervisor) and Prof. Bert Sels (co-supervisor), where he explored the spectroscopic features of Fe-ZSM-5 using computational chemistry. He is expanding this research as a PhD student, funded by FWO. The main topic of his thesis covers the computational study of reactivity and spectroscopic features of transition metals in zeolites. Besides computational chemistry and the Schrödinger equation, he likes travelling, board games and Belgian beers.

Evelien Vanleeuw

evelien.vanleeuw@kuleuven.be

Evelien Vanleeuw

PhD student


Evelien Vanleeuw obtained her master’s degree in Catalytic Technology (Bioscience Engineering) at KU Leuven in 2014. Afterwards, she started her PhD in the group of Prof. Sels. Her main research topic is focused on the enzymatic catalysis during the synthesis of lactic acid, the building block of PLA. Besides these enantioselective reactions with lactic acid and other a-hydroxy compounds, she deals with the heterogeneous catalysis during the synthesis of these biopolymers and their functionalization to produce a sustainable biobased plastic with a PLA backbone.Evelien’s interests are not limited to only science related topics, she also loves sewing, walking and cycling in nature, travelling and just a nice chat/drink with friends.

Dorien Kerstens

dorien.kerstens@kuleuven.be

Dorien Kerstens

PhD student


Dorien Kerstens obtained her MSc in Bio-Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2015. She did her master’s thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of prof Bert F. Sels, where she explored the use of zeolites for the valorization of oils and fats. She is currently doing a PhD in the same research group on the role of zeolites in the oleo chemistry. Next to her scientific work, she is a musician in a concert band and likes to embroider.

Gil Van den Bossche

gil.vandenbossche@kuleuven.be

Gil Van den Bossche

PhD student


Gil obtained his MSc in Bio-Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2015. During his master thesis, he investigated the demethoxylation of lignin derived compounds over nickel catalysts, under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels. This is where he started his PhD, funded by the Catalisti SBO ‘MAIA’ project, in collaboration with several industrial partners. His current research focuses on the catalysis and process conditions, necessary for large-scale lignin valorization from raw materials.  Which ought to close the gap between fundamental research and lignocellulose biorefineries. Apart from chemistry, he likes cycling, hiking abroad and music.

Tim Croes

Tim.croes@kuleuven.be

Tim Croes

PhD student


Tim received his MSc of Biochemical Engineering Technology degree from KU Leuven in 2016. Before pursuing his research-interests, he followed his interests in teaching by completing an academic teacher training course in natural sciences. (KU Leuven, 2017)

He did his master thesis on the development of a photobioreactor for the production of algal biochemicals under the guidance of Dr. Abhishek Dutta and Prof. Bikem Övez. His knowledge on green technologies is further advanced through his current research on the fractionation of lignin-derived monomers, which is supervised by Prof. Bart Van der Bruggen and Prof. Bert Sels. For this research, he has obtained fellowship-funding from FWO.

Tim has also secured Erasmus+ funding multiple times, allowing him to study and do research not only in Belgium, but also in Finland and Turkey. (Oulun yliopisto and Ege University). These experiences led him to become an active member of the Intercultural Meeting Centre of the KU Leuven.

His research interests include hybrid separation processes, biomimicry and holistic environmental impact assessments and reductions, while his other interests are outdoor teaching, outdoor sports and dancing.


Elise Peeters

elise.peeters@kuleuven.be

Elise Peeters

PhD student


Elise Peeters obtained her MSc in Bioscience Engineering (master Catalytic Technology) at the KU Leuven in 2017. Under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels, she made her master thesis on the catalytic conversion of biomass into short alkanes. As an FWO-funded fellow, she started her PhD in the same research group. Her research topic focuses on the efficient conversion of biomass-derived molecules by Sn-BEA catalysis. Apart from her science-related interest, she loves travelling, running, horseback riding (jumping) and having a good time with friends.

Elias Cooreman

Elias.cooreman@kuleuven.be

Elias Cooreman

PhD student


Elias Cooreman obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (master Catalytic Technology) at the KU Leuven in 2018. He did his master thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels and daily supervisor Tom Renders, where he investigated a novel biorefinery concept that aimed to convert lignocellulosic biomass into three pure product streams. He is currently doing a PhD where he continues on the foundation of his master thesis. Besides his scientific interests he likes to play sports, travel and generally enjoy life.


Ward Lorenz

Ward.Lorenz@kuleuven.be

Ward Lorenz

PhD student


Ward Lorenz obtained his MSc in Bioscience Engineering (master Environmental
Technology) at the KU Leuven in 2018. He did his master thesis at the Centre
for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels
and daily supervisor Bert Boekaerts, where he investigated the chemistry and
kinetics behind a coupling reaction of fatty acids by ketonisation using metal
oxide catalysts. He is currently doing a PhD in the same research group
focusing on the valorization of glycerol as a waste product of oleochemistry. In
his spare time, he is an outdoor (sports) enthusiast with a big passion for
hiking, rock climbing and mountaineering.

Dieter Ruijten

dieter.ruijten@kuleuven.be

Dieter Ruijten

PhD student


Dieter Ruijten obtained his MSc degree in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2018. He performed his master thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of Prof. Bert F. Sels, where he explored the selective synthesis and polymerization of renewable bisphenols. He is currently doing a PhD in the same research group on the functionalization of novel platform molecules from lignin-derived phenolics. In his free time, Dieter enjoys sporting (especially swimming), hiking and travelling.

Karel Thielemans

Karel.thielemans@kuleuven.be

Karel Thielemans

PhD student


Karel Thielemans obtained his MSc degree in Bioscience Engineering (Food Science and Nutrition) at KU Leuven in 2018. Under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels and Prof. Christophe Courtin, he performed his master thesis about increasing the fermentability of cellulose fibers. Currently, he is doing a PhD on the foundation of his master thesis, about the food grade functionalization of cellulose fibers by partial hydrolysis. His PhD is a close collaboration between the Centre for surface chemistry and catalysis, and the laboratory for food chemistry and biochemistry at KULeuven. 

In his spare time, he enjoys playing and teaching volleyball, making music, and drinking a beer with friends.

Nadezhda Veryasova

nadezhda.veryasova@kuleuven.be

Nadezhda Veryasova

PhD student


Nadezhda obtained her MSc degree in Bioorganic Chemistry at Lomonosov Moscow State University in 2018. Her background is focused on modification and functionalization of polymers for medical use. She was inspired to bring a fresh view into the problem of sustainable chemistry and currently she is doing her PhD research devoted to the chemocatalytic conversion of biomass into platform chemicals. Besides her working hours she enjoys fishing, mushroompicking and wild nature discovery.

William Faveere

william.faveere@kuleuven.be

William Faveere

PhD student


William Faveere obtained his MSc in Bio-Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2014. He did his master’s thesis at the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis under the guidance of prof Bert F. Sels where he explored the adsorption and dynamics in solids via NMR Spectroscopy. He is currently doing a PhD in the same research group, funded by the Catalisti SBO project CARBOLEUM in collaboration with industrial partners. His research focuses on the conversion of sugar-based streams to aminated building blocks for new chemicals in eg. liquid detergents.

Next to his scientific interests, he loves good food, travelling, sports and occasionally participates in running, swimming or bike competitions (as well as triathlon).

Sofie Van Praet

sofie.vanpraet@kuleuven.be

Sofie Van Praet

Postdoctoral researcher


Sofie Van Praet obtained her MSc in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2019. She did her master thesis at the Centre for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering under the guidance of professor Bert Sels and daily supervisor Dorien Kerstens, where she developed an in-depth analysis protocol for branched fatty acids. She is currently doing a PhD in the same research group, focussing on the reductive amination of carbohydrates using heterogeneous catalysis. Besides her science-related interests, she likes running, travelling and spending time with family and friends.

Benjamin Vermeeren

benjamin.vermeeren@kuleuven.be

Benjamin Vermeeren

PhD student


Benjamin Vermeeren obtained his MSc degree in Bioscience Engineering (Catalytic Technology) at KU Leuven in 2019. In his master thesis, under the guidance of Prof. Bert Sels and daily supervision of Steven-Friso Koelewijn and Laura Trullemans, he investigated methanolysis as a chemical recycling method for bisguaiacol-based polycarbonates. He is currently doing a PhD in the same research group where he explores heterogeneous catalysis for the production of bio-based diamines for sustainable applications. In his leisure time, he is a passionate fan of the Great Old and a cycling fanatic. He enjoys being surrounded by close friends and family with drinks, food and music.