Alex van Herk

Alex van Herk is a Visiting Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology's Department of the Built Environment, with expertise in polymer science and chemical engineering. He previously served as a full professor (2001–2021), leading the Polymer Engineering and Characterization group in Singapore (A*Star). His research focuses on emulsion polymerization, nanomaterials, and functional coatings. He co-founded the Foundation Emulsion Polymerization (SEP) and chairs an IUPAC working group on copolymerization.

Education: MSc in Inorganic and Polymer Chemistry (Free University Amsterdam), PhD (1986, under Prof. Sybe Balt). Guest professorships include University of Göttingen and Sydney. He has pioneered methods for backbone-degradable polymers and nanocapsule synthesis, contributing to sustainable materials and industrial coatings.

Research interests emphasize molecular-level polymerization kinetics, practical process optimization, and nanotechnology applications in coatings and biomedical systems. His recent work includes IUPAC standardization of copolymerization analysis and development of NOVOC water-borne coatings. Over 150 publications span emulsion science, controlled radical polymerization, and materials engineering.