Stef Stienstra
Commander, Scientific Advisor
Royal Dutch Navy
Netherlands
Biography
Strategic and creative development manager in biomedical science, who works internationally for several medical and biotech companies as a scientific advisory board member. He is also an active reserve-officer of the Royal Dutch Navy in his rank as Commander (OF4). For the Dutch Armed Forces he is CBRNe specialist with a focus on (micro)biological and chemical threats. He is also manager of the group of medical- and environmental functional specialist within the 1st CMI (Civil-Military Interaction) Battalion of the Dutch Armed Forces. In his civilian position, he is at this moment developing with MT-Derm in Berlin (Germany) a novel intradermal vaccination technology as well as a new therapy for cutaneous leishmaniasis for which he has won a Canadian ‘Grand Challenge’ grant. With Hemanua in Dublin (Ireland) he has developed an innovative blood separation unit, which is also suitable to produce convalescent plasma for Ebola Virus Disease therapy. He has finished both his studies in Medicine and in Biochemistry in The Netherlands with a doctorate and has extensive practical experience in cell biology, immuno-haematology, infectious diseases, biodefense, and transfusion medicine. His natural business acumen and negotiation competence help to initiate new successful businesses, often generated from unexpected combinations of technologies. He consults at top level management, in which his good understanding of abstract science combined with excellent skills in communication of scientific matters to non-specialists helps to get things done.
Research Interest
cell biology, immuno-haematology, infectious diseases, biodefense, and transfusion medicine