Yvonne van der Meer

Yvonne van der Meer is Professor of Sustainability of Chemicals and Materials at Maastricht University's Faculty of Science and Engineering. She serves as the scientific vice-director of the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) and is the academic research lead of Sustainable UM2030, Maastricht University's sustainability program. Her leadership roles extend to the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society (KNCV), where she serves as vice-president since 2025 after previously serving as president (2022-2025).

Van der Meer's research focuses on providing methods, indicators, and tools for sustainability assessments to support the transition from a linear fossil-based economy to a circular bio-based economy. Her expertise spans Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, circular economy metrics, biobased materials, and sustainable chemistry. She leads a research group comprising two assistant professors, five postdoctoral researchers, and six PhD students, with teaching responsibilities across multiple programs including the Master Biobased Materials, Business Engineering, and Circular Engineering.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on advancing Life Cycle Assessment methodologies, particularly for biobased materials and circular systems. Her work addresses critical challenges in sustainability measurement, including social dimensions of sustainability, marine microplastic emissions, dynamic carbon accounting, and the assessment of emerging bio-based technologies. The research demonstrates increasing sophistication in integrating multiple sustainability dimensions and addressing temporal aspects of environmental impacts.

Professionally, Van der Meer has held significant leadership positions including membership on the Scientific Committee of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), the General Board of the University Fund Limburg, and the Brightlands Science Advisory Board. She has been instrumental in establishing research institutes including AMIBM and the Chemelot Institute for Science and Technology.

Her educational background includes molecular sciences from Wageningen University and a PhD from Delft University of Technology. With over 25 years of experience in sustainable chemistry, she has worked at the Dutch Research Council (NWO), as a consultant, and in various research policy roles before establishing her academic career at Maastricht University.