Team
Prof. dr. ir. Frank Devlieghere
Frank Devlieghere is full professor at the faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University. He is responsible for the research unit Food Microbiology and Food Preservation (FMFP). His research focusses on the microbial aspects of food preservation. Please click here for a bibliography.
Prof. Devlieghere has more than 25 years of experience in how packaging is used to preserve foods and more specifically in the effects of packaging on the microbial quality of food products. Special research interests include the effects of the atmosphere on microbial behavior in foods and intelligent & antimicrobial packaging systems. Research is often in close collaboration with the food and packaging industry.
Prof. Devlieghere is one of the founding professors of the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging, is president of the programme committee and is involved as lecturer in the course Shelf-life of Packed Foods.
Prof. Devlieghere is also co-founder of Pack4Food, a non-profit organisation supporting companies in their daily packaging challenges and innovations.
Prof. dr. ir. Peter Ragaert
Peter Ragaert is professor Food Packaging Technology at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University and focusses on bioplastics, active and intelligent packaging and barrier materials. One of the key elements in his research is relating different compositions and functionalisation of packaging materials with resulting shelf-life of food products. Within this research topic, increased attention is given to the use of recycled and/or biobased materials for food packaging.
Prof. Ragaert is one of the founding professors of the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging and is involved as lecturer in the course Food Packaging Systems: Materials, Machines and Packaging Conditions, and as co-lecturer in the course Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Food Packaging.
Prof. Ragaert is also Director at Pack4Food, a non-profit organisation supporting companies in their daily packaging challenges and innovations.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Prof. dr. ir. Bruno De Meulenaer
Bruno De Meulenaer is professor in Food Chemistry and Chemical Food Safety at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University. His research group studies the chemical aspects of food safety and food quality.
Prof. De Meulenaer’s over 25 years’ expertise covers the chemical aspects of packed foods: packaging and food related factors affecting shelf life, migration from food contact materials, etc.
Prof. De Meulenaer is one of the founding professors of the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging and is involved as lecturer in the course Food Safety of Packaging Materials.
Prof. De Meulenaer is also co-founder of Pack4Food, a non-profit organisation supporting companies in their daily packaging challenges and innovations.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Prof. dr. ing. Imca Sampers
Imca Sampers is associate professor at Ghent University, responsible for courses in the Master of Science in Applied Engineering: Biochemistry/Circular Bioprocess Technology (Specifically Food process technology, Quality Systems in the Food Industry (food microbiology and conservation), Hygienic Design and Cleaning & Disinfection) and the Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering Technology: Food Industry (Specifically food technology (focus on the processing of vegetables, fruits and potatoes).
Prof. Sampers is one of the founding professors of the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging, and is involved as lecturer in the course Food Packaging Systems: Materials, Machines and Packaging Conditions.
Prof. Sampers is a member of the research group VEG-i-TEC at Campus Kortrijk, and has expertise is in the field of vegetable processing and water treatment with a focus on microbial and chemical quality. She is the main author and co-author of several publications, and participates actively in (inter)national congresses and symposia.
Prof. dr. ir. Jo Dewulf
Jo Dewulf is full professor Clean Technology at Ghent University and works with the Department of Green Chemistry and Technology. He leads the Sustainable Systems Engineering group (STEN) and focusses on clean production. He was senior scientist in the Sustainability Assessment Unit of the European Commission – Joint Research Centre (2013-2015), and guest professor at ETH Zürich with the Ecological Systems Design group (2019-2020).
In his research, he heavily focuses on clean technology, i.e. searching for preventive actions within production processes and values chains. To do so, he makes thorough analyses at the process, plant and overall industrial system level, based on life cycle thinking and thermodynamic principles in order to find out opportunities for improvement.
For his scientific work, he obtained the prize of the laureate of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Belgium in 2008. He was awarded the Francqui Chair 2020-2021 at the University of Antwerp.
Prof. Dewulf is one of the founding professors of the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging and is involved as lecturer in the course Sustainability in Food Systems.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Prof. dr. ir. Steven De Meester
Steven De Meester is assistant professor within the Department of Industrial Biological Sciences at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University. He teaches in courses such as waste treatment, environmental management, and chemical engineering.
Prof. De Meester has a background in chemical engineering and sustainability assessment and focusses on the sustainable design of chemical production chains. Special research interests include the purification of components from complex streams such as waste biomass and waste plastics. Please click here for a bibliography.
Prof. De Meester is one of the founding professors of the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging and is involved as lecturer in the course End-of-life Management of Packaging.
Prof. De Meester has extensive experience in working in different types of multidisciplinary projects, often in cooperation with industry. He also chairs the Plastics to Resource pipeline within CAPTURE, an interdisciplinary collaborative platform to accelerate radical technological innovations in the field of sustainable resource recovery.
Prof. dr. ir. Roland ten Klooster
Roland ten Klooster is professor Packaging Design and Management and Promotor of the NVC Chair Packaging Design and Management at the faculty of Engineering Technology at the University of Twente (The Netherlands). Special research interests include the role of packaging in sustainability, how to design convenient packaging, the influence of packaging design on consumer behaviour, sealing of plastic films, new cellulose-based materials, and the processing of packaging on fast running packaging lines.
Prof. ten Klooster is involved in the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging as lecturer in the course Food Packaging Design.
Prof. ten Klooster is also a member of the Committee of Independent Experts for the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging and works as designer/consultant at Plato product consultants to help clients with packaging related problems.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Prof. dr. Roos Peeters
Roos Peeters is professor at and vice-dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology at Hasselt University. Her research is situated within the research institute IMO-IMOMEC and the research group Materials and Packaging Research & Services (MPR&S), and focuses on the optimisation of (packaging) materials characteristics, (barrier and mechanical properties) by nanotechnology.
Prof. Peeters is involved in the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging as lecturer in the courses ‘Food Packaging Systems: Materials, Machines and Packaging Conditions’ and ‘Quality Management in Food Packaging’.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Prof. dr. ir. Mieke Buntinx
Mieke Buntinx is associate professor at the Faculty of Engineering Technology and staff member of the Institute of Materials Research IMO-IMOMEC at Hasselt University.
Prof. Buntinx teaches courses on research skills, polymer chemistry, food contact materials, microbiology and food conservation to academic bachelor and master students in (chemical) engineering technology. Research activities are focused on materials research and applications in (food) packaging with a special focus on functional barriers, (gas) barrier measurements, (bio)plastics, biodegradation, nanotechnology, coatings, active and intelligent packaging.
Prof. Buntinx is involved in the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging as lecturer in the course ‘Quality Management in Food Packaging’.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Prof. dr. ir. Liesbeth Jacxsens
Liesbeth Jacxsens is full professor in Food Safety and Quality at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University. Her research domain encounters two research lines: food safety management and risk assessment (technical / mathematical compound of the broader framework of risk analysis related to food safety and human health impacts). Research of risk assessment interacts with food safety management, as outcomes of risk assessment are applied as an input for food safety management on operational level. Food safety culture is a current research topic in food safety management.
Prof. Jacxsens is involved in the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging as lecturer in the course ‘Quality Management in Food Packaging’.
Together with prof. Mieke Uyttendaele, prof. Jacxsens received the Rotary Science Award (ROSA) for their research on food donations (2021).
Please click here for a bibliography.
Prof. dr. ir. An Vermeulen
An Vermeulen is visiting professor at Hasselt University and researcher within the department of food technology, safety and health at the faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University.
Prof. Vermeulen is involved in the MSc in Sustainable Food Packaging as lecturer in the course ‘Food Safety of Packaging Materials’.
Prof. Vermeulen is also Director at Pack4Food, a non-profit organisation supporting companies in their daily packaging challenges and innovations.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Cynthia Linclau
Cynthia Linclau is R&D Packaging Developer at Lotus Bakeries, a Belgian company with more than 2,000 employees, active worldwide in the indulgent and natural snacking segment.
Mrs. Linclau has over 25 years’ experience in packaging design and development; before Lotus Bakeries, she held positions at SCA Packaging (now DS Smith Packaging), Alpro (member of the Danone group) and Quatre Mains.
Mrs. Linclau is involved in the MSc Sustainable Food Packaging as lecturer in the course Food Packaging Economics and Management.
Dr. ir. Pieter Nachtergaele
Pieter Nachtergaele is a postdoctoral researcher and educator at the research group Sustainable Systems Engineering (STEN). He holds a Ph.D. in Bioscience Engineering: Chemistry and Bioprocess Technology.
Dr. Nachtergaele’s research focusses on renewable resources in the chemical industry, sustainable packaging solutions and the end-of-life treatment of plastic packaging. He is especially interested in applying process systems engineering tools (Industry 4.0, machine learning) to advance the end of life management of mixed solid waste.
Dr. Nachtergaele is involved in the MSc Sustainable Food Packaging, supporting the courses Sustainability in Food Systems, End-of-life Management of Packaging and Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Food Packaging.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Dr. Lotta Kuuliala
Lotta Kuuliala is a postdoctoral researcher and assistant with a joint affiliation at the Research Unit Food Microbiology and Food Preservation (FMFP) and Research Group Food Chemistry and Human Nutrition (nutriFOODchem) at Ghent University. She holds a joint DSc in Technology & PhD in Applied Biological Sciences from Tampere University of Technology (Finland) and Ghent University (Belgium).
Dr. Kuuliala’s research focuses on food quality and packaging, with special emphasis on statistical analysis and mathematical modelling of the deterioration processes of food products packed under modified atmospheres. She is a co-lecturer in courses ‘Technology of Fishery Products’ and ‘Post-Harvest Handling, Processing and Preservation’ at Ghent University.
Dr. Kuuliala is involved in the MSc Sustainable Food Packaging, supporting the courses ‘Food Packaging Systems: Materials, Machines and Packaging Conditions’ and ‘Shelf Life of Packed Foods’.
Dr. ir. Lieselot Boone
Lieselot Boone is a postdoctoral researcher at the research group Sustainable Systems Engineering (STEN) and focuses on environmental sustainability of food packaging materials. As a Ph.D. student, she focused on environmental sustainability assessment of plant production systems, and more specifically on integration of soil quality in life cycle assessment.
Dr. Boone is involved in the MSc Sustainable Food Packaging, supporting the course Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Food Packaging.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Dr. ir. Sophie Huysveld
Sophie Huysveld is a postdoctoral researcher and doctor assistant at the research group Sustainable Systems Engineering (STEN). Her area of expertise is sustainability assessment from a life cycle perspective to assess existing and new products and systems, with a main focus on environmental impacts. She has experience in implementing sustainability assessment and providing methodological development throughout different sectors (waste management, agriculture/food, raw materials, etc.). She is especially interested in sustainability assessment of circular material flows, with a main focus on plastic packaging, and development of circularity indicators. She is involved in courses teaching theory and concepts of clean technology, and assessment methods including Life Cycle Assessment and environmental impact assessment. As a Ph.D. student, she focused on exergy-based natural resource accounting in sustainability assessment of agricultural production systems.
Dr. Huysveld is involved in the MSc Sustainable Food Packaging, supporting the course Sustainability in Food Systems.
Please click here for a bibliography.
Ir. Amber Van Reepingen
Amber Van Reepingen is a PhD researcher at the faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University, research unit Food Microbiology and Food Preservation (FMFP). She holds a master’s degree in Bioscience Engineering: Food Science and Nutrition from Ghent University.
Her research focusses on the combination of sustainable food packaging and microbial food safety, especially on the effect of dynamic gas (O2/CO2) exchange in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) systems on microorganisms’ behaviour with the aim to develop a predictive mathematical model to be able to predict the growth of psychrotrophic food pathogens.
Ir. Van Reepingen is involved in the MSc Sustainable Food Packaging, supporting the courses Food Packaging Systems, Shelf Life of Packed Foods and Food Safety of Packaging Materials.
Ewout Ramon
Ewout Ramon is the lifelong learning coordinator for West Flanders at Ghent University and coordinates the international MSc Sustainable Food Packaging.
Mr. Ramon is a UGain team member and co-develops lifelong learning activities and programmes for Ghent University Campus Kortrijk and Ostend Science Park.
In the past, Mr. Ramon was the Policy Officer and Research Assistant to the Director at the United Nations University institute in Belgium, and developed international training programmes for Flanders’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
