Team

IridescentBio is the story of what happens when cloud chemistry & physics experts meet biopharma.

Aart Bijkerk

Co-Founder

Aart is passionate about creating innovative solutions that make real impact. He's a generalist with a background in finance and a proven track record of leading and executing successful M&A transactions in the technology and SaaS landscape.

Working with the best Tech entrepreneurs has inspired Aart to join IridescentBio, to contribute to building something great.

With 13+ years of corporate finance experience, Aart has developed a deep understanding of the market dynamics, trends, and opportunities in the industry. He has advised and supported numerous entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial managers in achieving their strategic and financial goals, by arranging and managing the entire process of acquisition, divestment, or buy-out transactions. Aart has also built and maintained strong relationships with key stakeholders, investors, and partners across Europe and North America.

 

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Nick Benson, BSc

Business Development Manager

Nick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and has also worked as a paramedic in the past. After embarking on his career in the medical field, Nick decided to pivot to the commercial aspect of science.

 

With over 6 years of valuable experience in scientific sales, he has excelled in various domains, including environmental engineering and complex fluid simulation software.

 

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André Nunes, PhD

Chief Software Engineer

André did his Ph.D. in Statistical Physics at the University of Lisbon (Portugal). His main research interest was developing analytic and computational models to describe the dynamics in systems of colloidal mixtures. He also developed models to simulate wound healing processes in epithelial tissues and granular dynamics models with application in the Food Industry.

 

Andre then worked as a Data Scientist applying AI models to solve forecasting problems in the energy and health sectors. He was later a Scientific Modeler at RheoCube where he developed a SaaS tool that allowed users to simulate complex Soft Matter systems.

 

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Nicholas Tito, PhD

Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer

Nick began in the academic world, with a PhD in Chemistry at Dartmouth (USA), and then research fellowships at Cambridge University (UK) and Eindhoven TU (The Netherlands).

He then shifted into the science & tech startup space by joining RheoCube, an Amsterdam-based company for complex fluid simulation. There, he evolved through the roles of modelling developer, team lead, product owner, and director of science.

Nick is now Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at IridescentBio, where he is fully embracing his passion for building and commercialising scientific tools in the cloud.

 

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Johannes "Hans" G.E.M. Fraaije, PhD

Co-Founder & Chief Science Advisor

Hans obtained a Ph.D. in Colloid Chemistry from Wageningen University. After a postdoc in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate P.G. de Gennes in Paris (soft matter physics), he started his industrial career in the Department of Applied Mathematics at AkzoNobel Corporate Research. From 2000 to 2023, Hans was a professor of Computational Chemistry at Leiden University.

Hans likes working on translating fundamental research into applications of industrial relevance, and spinning off new algorithms into companies. He invented the ‘Mesodyn’ algorithm for polymer phase separation (sold to Dassault Systèmes) and the Culgi software suite for multiscale modeling (sold to Siemens). Hans is a serial entrepreneur and professor, a unique combination. He is now embarking on his latest venture, IridescentBio, as Co-Founder and Angel Investor.

Outside of algorithms and business, Hans enjoys running on the beautiful North Sea beach near Katwijk with his friends, playing his grand piano, composing music, and enjoying life with his wife.

 

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