Stijn Mertens

Stijn Mertens has established himself as a prominent figure in brewing science and technology, combining academic excellence with industrial expertise. After receiving his MSc in Bioscience Engineering from KU Leuven in 2013, where he earned the Royal Society of Brewing Schools' annual thesis prize, he pursued his PhD at the VIB-KU Leuven lab for Systems Biology under Kevin Verstrepen's leadership. His doctoral research focused on expanding the aromatic profile of lager yeast, during which he also served as head brewer of the university's 5hL pilot brewery. His academic contributions include co-developing the acclaimed MOOC "Beer: The Science of Brewing" at KU Leuven, which bridges fundamental scientific concepts with practical brewing applications and provides insights into Belgium's iconic breweries. The course serves as a preparatory program for KU Leuven's postgraduate program in Malting and Brewing Sciences. Following his postdoctoral research managing industrial projects and the pilot brewery at the Verstrepen lab, he transitioned to Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) in December 2019 as a Global Process Development Specialist, where he applies his extensive brewing knowledge to industrial-scale production.