Pieter is a chemist working as a scientist in the chemical industry. His roots are in the field of synthetic organic chemistry with Leiden University as his alma mater. After obtaining his master’s degree design & synthesis he continued his education at the Leiden University (LIC, Biosyn) as a PhD student, studying the synthesis of (oligo)nucleotide derivatives and conjugates.
After his graduation Pieter worked as a post-doctoral research associate and Marie Curie-Sklodowska fellow of the EU at the University of Cambridge. In the group of Sir Prof. S. Balasubramanian he met with the field of the chemical biology of nucleic acids, working predominantly on the application of high-resolution mass spectrometry as the chemical tool. It is this last analyticalchemistry technique that led him to his current position as scientist analytical chemistry at the chemical and biotechnology company Corbion Purac in Gorinchem.
"I would like to tell/show you how you can move between working fields of expertise and explore much of what chemistry has to offer. Furthermore, I will share where in my opinion the biggest differences lie between working in the chemical industry and academia and what benefits or disadvantages there may be."