N.J.H.P. Claassens

N.J.H.P. Claassens is an Associate Professor at Wageningen University & Research, affiliated with the VLAG graduate school and BacGen research group. Previously, he held a postdoctoral position at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (2017-2019). His research program focuses on developing sustainable bioproduction systems through synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.

Research interests center on:

• Engineering novel CO₂ fixation pathways
• Formate and C1-compound utilization in microorganisms
• Redesigning metabolic networks in E. coli and thermophiles
• Developing genetic tools for plasmid engineering
• Applications in renewable chemicals and protein production

Recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on metabolic pathway engineering, with innovations in glycine pathway efficiency, plasmid editing techniques, and thermophile metabolism. Articles frequently appear in high-impact journals including Nature Microbiology and Metabolic Engineering.

Awards & Honors:

• Veni Award 2019 (NWO) for 'Building sustainable C1-routes in a bacterium'

Research Leadership: Currently co-supervising PhD candidates on projects including:

• Synthetic CO₂ fixation in E. coli
• Minimal metabolic network evolution
• CO₂ fixation in microalgae
• Non-canonical redox cofactor applications
• Methanol-based milk protein production

Leads multiple externally funded projects at the intersection of synthetic biology and industrial biotechnology.