Thomas Freese | Co-founder, CEO / CTO, Researcher LEAF coordinator
University of Groningen

Thomas Freese recently completed his PhD in Chemistry under the mentorship of Nobel Laureate Ben L. Feringa (2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), where he began his journey into Green and Sustainable Chemistry. His research focuses on developing sustainable processes for the production of hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide through heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis. Additionally, Thomas is passionate about biomass conversion, particularly in transforming lignocellulose into value-added biobased platform chemicals to replace fossil fuels in polymers, plastics, and coatings. Building on this expertise, Thomas has now co-founded a chemical manufacturing start-up, where he will take on the roles of CEO and CTO. The company’s mission is to embed green and sustainable chemistry into the production of biobased platform, commodity, and specialty chemicals for the industrial sector. Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, Thomas founded the Green Labs team at the University of Groningen, dedicated to making laboratory practices as sustainable as possible, regardless of the research focus. In collaboration with Martin Farley, he now advises institutions and companies worldwide on improving laboratory efficiency and sustainability, thereby reducing costs and CO2 emissions. Advocating for Green Chemistry is one of his key passions, making his role at Beyond Benign and his work with the Green Chemistry Commitment a perfect fit.