Frederik R. Wurm

Frederik R. Wurm (Prof. Dr. habil.) is the chair of the group “Sustainable Polymer Chemistry” (SPC) at the Universiteit Twente. The group is in the Faculty of Science and Technology (TNW) in the Department of Molecules and Materials (M&M).

The SPC group designs polymeric materials with molecularly defined functions that lead to macroscopic properties. In recent years, especially biobased and biodegradable materials have been the focus of Frederik's research and building the main line of the SPC group. The expertise of the SPC group covers the synthesis of (bio)degradable polymers and nanocarriers for agricultural or biomedical applications but also other potential applications are currently studied - always with a focus on the molecular control of the properties of the final materials. Frederik's favorite biopolymer is lignin, which is also the core of several research projects, e.g. biodegradable nano- and microcarriers for agriculture. SPC also researches new synthetic strategies and applications of (bio)degradable polyphosphoesters (PPEs) or develops new protocols for well-defined polyamines by living polymerization of aziridines.

Frederik has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers and more than 19,000 citations (h-index: 67, Nov 2025) ad his research has been awarded several times. He is also involved in two spin-off companies, LigniLabs GmbH and Phos4nova B.V. as co-founder and researcher.