Florijn Dekkers
Co-founder & Vice-chair
After a decade as a biomedical scientist, Florijn has dedicated her career to shaping the future of sustainable healthcare. By combining science, activism, and creativity, she co-founded the Green Labs NL Foundation to accelerate the green transition across the Netherlands. In addition to her coordination role for the EWUU Alliance, she drives educational innovation within the Planetary Health Integration Team at UMC Utrecht.
Joep Sprangers
Chair
Joep is a biologist and sustainability coordinator at UMC Utrecht who earned his PhD in 2024, specializing in proteins responsible for stem cell maintenance and cancer development using 3D organoid cultures. Having spent years in cell biology labs, he became aware of the significant environmental footprint of high-level research. This led him to join Green Labs NL in 2023, where he now focuses on implementing high-impact, practical solutions to make science in the Netherlands greener.
Mandy Erkelens
Treasurer
Mandy is a postdoc in the Department of Human Genetics at LUMC and a coordinator for sustainable labs. Her transition to sustainability advocacy was sparked by her students’ concerns over the volume of plastic waste used in teaching labs. Inspired by the contrast between personal lifestyle and lab work, she has founded a departmental Green Team and works through Green Labs NL to transform standard research habits into sustainable practices.
Aram de Haas
Secretary
Aram transitioned from a PhD in cancer vaccine development to a leadership role in laboratory sustainability. Motivated by the interconnected crises of climate change and social inequality, he views sustainability through the lens of climate justice. Aram has led major milestones at Amsterdam UMC, including the LEAF program and the institution’s first Freezer Challenge, focusing on both top-down strategy and grassroots engagement.
Marit de Kort
Treasurer
As a Policy Officer and former PhD student, Marit bridges the gap between scientific excellence and environmental responsibility. During her time in the lab, she felt a stark contrast between her sustainable lifestyle and the resource-heavy nature of scientific research. She is now committed to educating the next generation of science professionals on how to mitigate the environmental impact of research to ensure a healthier planet for all.
Gabriela Dankova
Working at the intersection of genomics and biodiversity monitoring, Gabriela’s career is rooted in a lifelong love for the natural world. Recognizing that lab-based research often involves high energy consumption and waste, she is dedicated to making her genomic work more environmentally friendly. She is an active advocate for collaborative movements like Green Labs NL to drive systemic change in research.
Rolf Slaats
Rolf completed his PhD and a Postdoc research position at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, focusing on stem cell based in vitro models for cardiac function and disease. He then transitioned to a project leader role at that same university to drive lab sustainability projects, before making the move to his current position at Roche. Here, his key focus areas are lab space optimization, lab efficiency and environmental sustainability. Sustainability is considered lab planning, lab design and (de-)construction, and lab operations, in order to have a holistic approach to environmental sustainability in the lifespan of the lab.
Thomas Freese
Thomas is a specialist in Green Chemistry, having completed his PhD under Nobel Laureate Ben L. Feringa. His work focuses on developing renewable chemicals from biomass to replace fossil fuels. Beyond his entrepreneurial ventures in chemical manufacturing, Thomas founded the Green Labs team at the University of Groningen and works with Beyond Benign to integrate sustainability into global science education.
Yusuf Bilgehan Arik
Yusuf’s experience spans both academia and industry, where he specialized in the development of lab-on-a-chip devices. Throughout his career, the sheer volume of energy and disposable waste in innovation became impossible to ignore. He joined Green Labs NL to help the scientific community reduce its carbon footprint without compromising the pace of discovery and technological advancement.
Hannah van de Kerkhof
Hannah acts as a transition manager, combining her background in chemistry and circular economy consultancy to drive institutional change. Growing up by the sea, she developed an early passion for climate action, eventually leaving the chemical lab to focus on plastic additives and systemic waste. She now translates sustainability ambitions into workable action plans, ensuring every employee is empowered to join the green transition.
Boaz Chemtob
Hi, I’m Boaz, the Sustainability Officer for the Faculty of Geoscience at Utrecht University. With a background firmly rooted in environmental sciences and sustainability, my passion for protecting nature and enhancing people’s lives has guided my career. I’ve gained experience working in diverse environments as my journey began at the Ministry of Environment within the Director General’s office, where I contributed to sustainable initiatives. Subsequently, I transitioned to the private sector, focusing on promoting sustainable tourism. Currently, I am dedicated to advancing sustainability within university operations and laboratory facilities.
In my daily work, I prioritise collaboration, actively engaging with individuals at all levels of the organisation to understand their challenges and concerns. Together, we work on solutions. This collaborative approach brings me immense satisfaction. I’ve had the privilege of partnering with Green Labs NL to champion the vital field of green labs in the Netherlands.
Green Labs NL alumni
Hannah Johnson
Princess Maxima Center
Benoit Nicolet
Sanquin
Estel Collado Camps
Radboudumc
Lucia Giannini
Erasmus MC
Laura Meulenbroeks
Amsterdam UMC
Mariana Pelicano de Almeida
Erasmus MC
Jey McCaughey
Utrecht University
Marleen Kristen
Mariela-Angeliki Tsatiri
Utrecht University
