Professional Career
Since 2018 Department leader
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG1: Biotechnology, Microbial Catalysis group, Jülich, Germany.
Since 2018 W2 Professor
Heinrich Heine University, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany.
2013-2018 Emmy Noether scholarship
RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Germany.
2011-2018 Research group leader
RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Germany.
2009-2011 Scientist strain development
BIRD engineering B.V., The Netherlands.
2007-2009 Postdoctoral Scientist
TNO Quality of Life, department of Food and Biotechnology Innovations, The Netherlands.
TNO is a Dutch research institute with a focus on applied science.
2003-2007 PhD in Biotechnology
TNO Quality of Life, department of Bioconversion, The Netherlands.
Promoter Prof. Dr. Johannes H. de Winde, TU Delft
Supervisor Dr. Harald J. Ruijssenaars, TNO
1997-2002 MSc in Biology
Leiden University, The Netherlands.
Awards and Stipends
2022 ERC Consolidator Grant “PROSPER”
2015 Supervisor award of the Bioeconomy Science Center for outstanding supervision of graduate students
2013 DFG Emmy Noether stipend “STARTUP”
2015 Travel stipend of the Aachen-California Network of Academic Exchange
2010 Two poster prizes at national symposia
Selected Activities and Memberships
Since 2022 Scientific committee member of the PYFF8 conference on physiology of yeasts and filamentous fungi (planned for June 2023), Cork, Ireland
Since 2020 Vice chair of Gordon Research Conference: “Plastics Recycling and Upcycling” (planned for July 2023 and 2025), Manchester, USA.
Since 2019 Management Committee member of the COST Action CA18113 “EuroMicropH”
Since 2019 Member of the VAAM
2018 Scientific committee member of the 4th Applied Synthetic Biology in Europe conference
Since 2016 Associate editor for Biotechnology for Biofuels
Since 2015 Member of the DECHEMA
Selected outreach activities
Check out my personal profiles on Twitter, Linkedin, and Researchgate
2021 Contributed to the ARTE documentary: “Bioeconomy: the green revolution” viewed by over 1.000.000 people on television and online (link).
2021 Supporting scientist for the book: “Machste dreckig – machste sauber: Die Klimalösung“ by David Nelles and Christian Serrer.(link)
2021 Appetit auf Abfall – Zeit Campus „Forschungskosmos – Zukunftsfragen der Forschung (link)
2021 “Appetite for trash” – open presentation in the FZJ “Wissenschaft online” series.
2020 “Appetit auf Abfall” title theme in the “Effzet” magazine of the Forschungszentrum Jülich (link).
2020 N. Wierckx, 2020 NO-STRESS: Plattformorganismen mit außerordentlicher Stresstoleranz. BioSpektrum, 04.20, 26. Jahrgang. (link)
2018 Designer bugs for creating greener plastics. Horizon 2020 success stories, interview contribution. (link)