Arjan Kleij

Prof. Arjan W. Kleij is a Group Leader at the Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ) in Tarragona, Spain. His research focuses on catalytic, sustainable organic synthesis and biopolymer development, particularly in CO2 valorization, bio-based polymers, and fine chemical synthesis. He leads a multidisciplinary team of postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and summer fellows.

• Education: MSc and PhD in Chemistry (Utrecht University), postdoctoral work at UAM Madrid and University of Amsterdam.
• Affiliations: ICREA Professor (2011), Editorial Board Member of Green Chemistry, Coordinator of the HORIZON-funded D-Carbonize project.

Research interests include designing sustainable catalytic protocols for biomass-derived monomers and polymers, with emphasis on circular economy principles. Key achievements include pioneering work on cyclic carbonate chemistry and depolymerization strategies for recyclable materials. His group has published over 240 articles (h-index 72) and holds 6 patents.

• Awards: 2023 European Sustainable Chemistry Award, 2021 Royal Society of Chemistry Fellowship, 2020 Spanish Chemical Society Excellence Award.

Current projects include the EU-funded IMPULSE (polyether synthesis), AVANT-GARDE (heterocyclic scaffolds), and PEACE (quaternary stereocenters) initiatives. Laboratory facilities include advanced spectroscopy (NMR, XRD) and chemical synthesis infrastructure.