Prof Dr Yvonne van der Meer (Y.)

My research group Sustainability of Materials at the Aachen Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials can be found here.

Running projects

• Repairtecture, Innovative repair concepts for polymer-based materials and components along their lifetime, led by the Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH (PCCL), FFG COMET module, Austria
• AsSuRe Bio, Development and life-cycle of Asphalt for more Sustainable urban pavements using Recycled and Bio-resources, collaboration with University of Antwerp, Belgium
• NWO KIC project "Creating A healthieR Environment for FutuRE patiEnts" - CAREFREE 
• Interreg Netherlands-Germany project Realise-Bio
• Interreg Netherlands-Flanders project “Circular Cultivation and Chemistry" (Circulaire Teelt en Chemie)
• Horizon Europe project "Metal Organic Frameworks for Hydrogen Production by Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting" - MOF2H2
• Horizon Europe project "Carbon Negative Biofuels from Organic Waste" - CARBIOW
• York Maastricht Partnership project "Co-developIng a novel fRamework for assessing sustainability by integrating CE, LCA and SDGs indicators" - CIRCLES
• NWO-Brazil (FAPESP) project, Sustainable citriculture through controlled release of antibacterial compounds from microgel-based formulations
• EU H2020 project, International cooperation for selective conversion of CO2 into METHAnol under SOLar light (METHASOL)
• EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) Biobased Value Circle, Training the new generation of industrial doctorates in the transition towards bio-based value circles (coordinator)
• OP Zuid project, Van Zeewier naar COating REsin applicaties (from seaweed to coating resin applications) - ZCORE

Completed projects

• Sustainability of Biobased Materials in a Circular Economy research programme and PhD project, supported by a Saudi Armaco donation via SWOL (the University Fund Limburg) 
• Interreg North West Europe project CurCol investigating the color production and application in bioplastic and paper packaging, based on the yellow natural colorant curcumin.
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN)- European Training Network FibreNet
• Chemelot InSciTe project BM2C6, Developing a new value chain from biomass to C6 monomers
• Sustainability aspects of lignin conversion into biofuels, value-added chemicals and chemical products, PhD project in collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology
• Interreg Netherlands-Flanders project “Puur Natuur, 100% biobased”
• RVO TKI-BBE project on biobased development of thermochemistry for levulinate esters and ketals - BOTLEK
• Chemelot InSciTe LIBERATE project on a "lignin first" approach to be realised on pilot plant scale
• SIA NWA-route Circulaire Economie (national science agenda Circular Economy)  project to accelerate the use of recyclable multilayer food packaging for the transition to a circular economy - PACK-CE
• SWOL (University Fund Limburg) project to set up an “Expertise network for the sustainability assessment of biobased materials”
• Chemelot InSciTe project “Levulinic Acid to Adipic Acid” (LA2AA),

Contributions to governmental and public activities

• Panellist second NWO Debate “Wetenschap werkt”, Eindhoven, 30 Jan 2023, https://www.nwo.nl/debatreeks-wetenschap-werkt, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgxZ7yGu7zU
• Lecture "Banning plastics or could plastics be more sustainable?", held at the Pleasure, Art & Science Festival (PAS), Maastricht, 4 September 2021
• Invited speaker at the Maastricht for Climate and Precious Plastic webinar event Ban Single-Use Plastic, Talk Materials Innovations for a Sustainable Future, 9 March 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMmtJSq0H0Q&t=2s   
• Personal supporter of Million Women in STEM, role model featured at https://www.1mwis.com/profile/yvonne-van-der-meer
• Panel member Talkshow “Connecting Communities”, Chemelot InSciTe Annual Meeting 2020, https://annualmeeting.chemelot-inscite.com
• Lecture “Circularity of materials to promote sustainability –SDG 12”, Lecture series Sustainable Development Goals, Maastricht University, Studium Generale, 25 September 2019
• Master Biobased Materials - Teaching, introduction of the program on YouTube, Maastricht University, 29 May 2019
• Het klimaat: over heide, honden en plastic heroes, Duurzame materialen: Climate fighters & plastic heroes, Pint of Science event, Maastricht, 21 May 2019
• Master Class Circulaire Economie, Dag van de Chemie (masterclass circular economy at open day on chemistry for a general public), Brightlands Chemelot Campus, 6 October 2018
• Master Biobased Materials, Live session on YouTube, Maastricht University, 3 May 2018
• Expert input on Circular Economy, Sustainable Economic Development theme meeting, Gemeente Beekdaelen, 14 March 2018
• Expert input on Circular Economy, Annual Directors Conference, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Valkenburg, 9 June 2017
• Online Lecture (website Maastricht University): Materials for a sustainable society, Maastricht University, 14 October 2016
• Lectures at Parcours of Art and Science Maastricht, Hoe nieuwe materialen kunnen bijdragen aan een duurzame samenleving & How materials can contribute to a sustainable society, 9 September 2016

Media appearances/publications for professionals and public

• Hoe duurzaam is het? Dat is de vraag!, Brightlands Newsletter, column Yvonne van der Meer, 28 September 2021, https://www.brightlands.com/brightlands/inspirerende-verhalen/yvonne-van-der-meer 
• Interview Replacing fossil with organic does not automatically mean improvement, Milan Lenters, Innovation Origins, 14 July 2021, Brightlands Chemelot Newsletter and https://innovationorigins.com/en/replacing-fossil-with-organic-does-not-automatically-mean-improvement 
• Community building through education, InSciTe Year in Review 2020, 18 June 2021, https://insciteyearinreview.com/pillar/education-and-training/community-building-through-education 
• Interview C2W “Duurzaamheidstudies zijn geen sluitpost” (Sustainability studies are not the last stop), Pauline van Schayck, 11 February 2021, https://www.c2w.nl/artikelen/interviews/duurzaamheid-studies-zijn-geen-sluitpost
• Embracing women and girls in science, Maastricht University, 11 February 2021, https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/news/embracing-women-and-girls-science
• Life Cycle Assesment course, contribution to video presented during the Annual Meeting 2020 and available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2SQfRfb4exQ
• “Q&A Yvonne van der Meer, group leader Sustainability of Biobased Materials in a Circular Economy at Maastricht University, Netherlands, talks to Anthony Caggiano about the circular economy of fossil and bio-based products”. by Anthony Caggiano, Materials World Magazine, July 2019, available at https://www.iom3.org/materials-world-magazine/magazine-issue/materials-world-july-issue
• Source B naar de volgende fase? /Source B to the next phase?, by Pierre Gielen, Agro & Chemie, 14 June 2019
• Life Cycle Assessment: Benefits and Limitations, blog by Y. van der Meer, 14 December 2018, available at http://fibrenet.eu/index.php?id=blog-post-eleven  
• Contribution to a documentary of secondary school pupils on plastic pollution, produced by Anouk Rousseau and Evelyne Jansen, Sint Maartenscollege, Maastricht, 4 November 2018; available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5mxrrXQzdw
• Roeren in de plastic soep. Het overzicht is zoek bij de plasticproblematiek (Stir in the plastic soup. The overview is lacking with the plastic problem), by Ronald Veldhuizen, KIJK 10/2018, p.14-21, October 2018
• Nieuwe onderzoeksgroep duurzaamheid binnen AMIBM/ New sustainability research group in AMIBM, by Pierre Gielen, Agro & Chemie #3-2018, p. 34, October 2018
• Innovatie in plastic, Rens Knapen, Radar Limburg, Plastic 09/18, 4 September 2018
• 100% Biobased textiel is niet vanzelfsprekend/100-biobased-textile-not-a-matter-of-course, by Pierre Gielen, Agro & Chemie #2-2018, p. 20,  June 2018
• A new LCA-course for more sustainable products, InSciTe annual report 2017 “Increasing Impact”, June 2018
• Cross-border cooperation in biobased materials, Agro & Chemistry, 30 April 2018
• Bag end: why we’re calling time on plastic waste. As the public turns against plastic, the race is on to find sustainable alternatives, Helena Pozniak, The Guardian, International Edition, 21 March 2018
• Studying „bioplastics“ in Maastricht, Interview by Michael Thielen, Bioplastics MAGAZINE 02/18, vol.13, p.38
• Behoefte aan uniforme “meetlat”/ The need for a uniform “yardstick”, Lucien Joppen, Agro & Chemie/Agro & Chemistry, article 18645, 12 October 2017
• AMIBM: nieuwe biopolymeren in de pijplijn, Agro & Chemie, article 20139, 9 June 2017
• Myth: Bioplastics will solve the plastic waste problem; Mythe: Bioplastics gaan het plastic afvalprobleem oplossen, Cleo Freriks, Observant, 37, 11 May, p. 4, 2017
• The Bioeconomy, The Netherlands in Pole Position, Interview with Mario Bonaccorso, Renewable matter 09, p. 40-44, 2016
• Biobased Delta en Source B onderzoeken samenwerking, Agro & Chemie, article 9749, 18 July 2014
• Netwerkbijeenkomst BBE: volle bak in Venlo, Agro & Chemie, article 9482, 24 June 2014
• L1 avondgasten tv-interview, Emiel Staring & Yvonne van der Meer, Chemelot InSciTe nieuw op Chemelot Campus, 1 mei 2014
• Groen produceren vlak voor doorbraak (Source B), Dagblad de Limburger, 2014
• Biobased-kwartet in Limburg zet in op kennis, Agro & Chemie, 2012