We are proud to announce the NBC-25 keynote speakers:
- Marcel Wubbolts, CTO at Vivici
- Caroline Paul, Associate professor at TU Delft, winner of the 2024 KNCV Golden Medal
- Eva-Karin Gidlund, Chief Alliance & Innovation Officer and Deputy CEO at NorthX Biologics
Marcel Wubbolts
Marcel Wubbolts is currently the CTO of startup company Vivici,where he leads the team that unlocks the potential of precision fermentation for sustainable whey protein production.
He has over 25 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, with a background in leading Research & Development and innovation programs. He joined Vivici in 2023. Before that he worked at Corbion, where he was a member of the executive committee and held the role of Chief Science & Sustainability Officer. In this position, he was responsible for R&D, innovation, sustainability, regulatory affairs, and intellectual property. Before Corbion, Marcel held various research and innovation leadership roles at DSM (currently dsm-firmenich), working in business units, the company’s incubator, and serving as global CTO.
Marcel holds a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from Groningen University. Before going to industry, he gained experience in the field of biocatalysis as a postdoc at ETH Zurich.
Caroline Paul
Caroline Paul grew up in both Canada and France. She received her Honours BSc and MSc degrees in Biological Chemistry at the University of Toronto, and her PhD degree at the University of Oviedo in Spain.
After postdoctoral work with an EU Marie Curie fellowship at TU Delft and a NWO VENI grant at Wageningen University pursuing her research interests on biomimetic cofactors, she was appointed as assistant professor in Biocatalysis at TU Delft in 2018 and associate professor in 2023.
Paul is recipient of several large grants including an ERC Starting Grant in 2020 and an NWO Perspectief grant in 2023. In addition she is the co-founder of NextGenBiocat, an annual international symposium in biocatalysis to promote early career researchers. In 2022 she was appointed as Chemistry Europe Fellow, and in 2024 she was awarded the prestigious KNCV Golden Medal, a prize for chemists under the age of 40 who have already demonstrated scientific excellence and from whom much is expected in the coming years.
Eva-Karin Gidlund
Eva-Karin Gidlund is the Chief Alliance & Innovation Officer and Deputy CEO at NorthX Biologics, where she leads strategic partnerships, innovation strategy, and long-term positioning within advanced biologics – including cell and gene therapy. She holds a Ph.D. in Medicine and Genetics from the Karolinska Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business Publishing Education. With over 15 years of experience at the intersection of science and business. Amongst many developments at NorthX, she played a key role in launching the company’s “Beyond CDMO” concept and building its Innovation Hub, as well as leading the company’s internal AI transformation.
Prior to joining NorthX, she held seniorpositions roles at Cobra Biologics, Cognate BioServices, and Charles River Laboratories, where she focused on commercial strategy and alliance development in the biologics and ATMP space.Eva-Karin is the founder of two advisory and innovation-driven consultancies: Gidlund & Partners and EKG – Exercise Knowledge and Growth. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Royal Monkey Labs (RMLabs), a company at the forefront of innovative health tech and HockeyFy which is a AI platform company.,She is an author and regularly appears as a guest on various podcasts, seasoned speaker, TEDx presenter, and former finalist in the Science Grand Prix. She lectures on topics such as innovation leadership, CMC and biologics, AI transformation, translational science, and the future of healthcare.
Invited speakers
René Rozendal - Pacques Biomaterials
Ruud Weusthuis - Wageningen University
Benjamin Blaha - Fuse Vectors
Hedwig Braakhuis - TNO
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