Wessel Vlug
Project Manager Food
Food production is essential; we cannot do without it. Unfortunately, food production is also a major component in many global challenges, such as carbon emissions, nutrient and pollution levels in soil, waste streams, water management, health, and an ageing population. It’s impact is enormous – estimated to be responsible for 30% of all emissions globally – and affects everyone. We all need to eat, after all. Tackling the global impact of food production while still producing enough, high-quality, healthy, and tasty food will require innovations and new solutions, and that is precisely what NIZO does. As a food research institute, our goal is to accelerate food innovation by conducting research, from ingredient extraction to new product development and valorizing waste streams.
Within these innovation projects, I work as a project manager, bringing together multidisciplinary teams. Moreover, at NIZO, the role of a project manager goes beyond solely carrying projects to completion. Due to the highly specialized nature of our innovation projects, a lot of technical skill and scientific know-how is required to shape and execute the project, and to communicate effectively with the other experts. This combination of organizational finesse and mastery of the scientific content is what makes the role of project manager fun and exciting for me.
I received my PhD in physical chemistry and colloidal science (Utrecht University, NL) studying interactions between particles in dispersion and their collective properties. Since then, I have always worked on colloidal stability, gelling, and effects driven by surface energy minimalization. At NIZO, I apply these general physical mechanisms and principles to foods, bringing the theory as close to the practical world as possible.
If you are futureproofing your products and processes, please feel free to get in touch. We are always willing to support you in achieving your innovation goals. Together, we can make it happen.
Mail Wessel