Katrien Bernaerts

This PhD project at Maastricht University focuses on the development of humin-based recyclable networks for adhesive and composite applications. The work is embedded in the NWO project KICHumins , a public-private partnership bringing together academic and industrial partners to advance more sustainable materials. The successful candidate will join the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) within the Faculty of Science and Engineering and work in the Sustainable Polymer Synthesis group led by Professor Katrien Bernaerts . Research is based at the Brightlands-Chemelot Campus in Geleen , where the labs are located, and is part of a broader multidisciplinary environment focused on biobased materials and circularity. The project valorizes humins , an unavoidable by-product of acid-catalyzed carbohydrate conversion in biorefineries, by turning them into recyclable, non-persistent thermoset networks. The PhD student will use humins supplied by Avantium to synthesize new polymer networks and investigate their physico-chemical properties. A key part of the work is to understand how molecular structure translates into performance, especially for applications in bio-based composites and adhesives . The materials will be explored in collaboration with project partners, including use cases such as skis and timber panel adhesives . The project sits at the intersection of sustainable polymer design, recyclable materials, and applied materials performance, with a strong emphasis on creating renewable alternatives to conventional thermoset systems. The wider project context includes multidisciplinary collaboration across materials science, environmental and health science, and socio-economics, giving the PhD candidate exposure to a research setting that connects laboratory development with real-world sustainability challenges.