We are driven by a vision of sustainability for all

The team comprises founders, professional management, broad R&D, engineering and commercial expertise, all committed to the bringing the technology to market.

Krisztina Kovacs-Schreiner

Krisztina Kovacs-Schreiner
Krisztina is a Biochemical Engineer by training and has over 10 years of experience working in the technology sphere. Previously, she worked as Project and Business Development Manager at Biome Bioplastics Ltd, managing a portfolio of collaborative, biomass to novel bioplastics R&D projects. Krisztina also has considerable experience in taking an idea from the drawing board to installation and running a start-up company with responsibility for all aspects of the business.

Dr Florence Gschwend

Dr Florence Gschwend
Florence is co-founder and CTO of Lixea. She is a co-inventor of the Dendronic process and has over 8 years of experience working in the ionic liquid and biomass fields. She has received numerous accolades, including
the EIT Change Award and the IChemE Young Researcher Award. She is passionate about using her skills to make a lasting difference to the environment and society and has been named as one of Europe’s most promising game-changers under 30 by Forbes.

Marcus Elmer

Marcus Elmer
Marcus has over 10 years of experience in bringing technologies to the market and a passion for biobased materials. He holds a master’s degree in engineering physics, and has hands-on experience of managing projects, people and companies in various positions. Marcus is responsible for the commercial activities in Lixea, driven by the aim to reach higher valorization and utilization of our precious resources.

Dr Dunstan Cooke

Dr Dunstan Cooke
Dunstan has over 15 years of experience working for tech start-ups. He was previously the Business Director at Plaxica, a process engineering company in the bio-economy and renewable chemistry space where he led the commercial and corporate legal processes around its IP licensing. He has experience in leading financing negotiations, conducting IP due diligence services and FTO searches, as well as in business development and operations.

Róbert Balogh

Róbert Balogh
Robert has 25 years of professional experience in strategic and financial management, both as a senior corporate manager and as private equity/investment banking manager. Robert has worked in various industries, including chemicals, in several countries - UK, Austria and Hungary among them. He has led multinational operations as group CFO, worked for AIG, HSBC and Templeton while retaining an extensive background in smaller, privately-owned companies and funds as a partner. Previously, Robert has helped to transition small enterprises into modern SMEs, which included implementing efficient IT systems, organising new financing and M&A transactions.

Jānis Eglītis

Jānis Eglītis
Janis is a Chemical Engineer supporting the scale-up and design of the Dendronic process and working on cellulose and lignin properties and applications. He has 5 years of consultancy experience within the field of Environment and Water, with a particular focus on process optimisation and support, technology evaluation, as well as scientific/quality strategy development. Janis completed his master’s degree at Heriot Watt University where he worked on valorisation of lignocellulose derived intermediate compounds.
Lixea’s board

Professor Jason Hallett

Professor Jason Hallett
Jason is Professor in Sustainable Chemical Technology at Imperial College’s Chemical Engineering Department. He leads a team of 30 researchers working in the field of biorefining, with a focus on industrial application. He has obtained more than £10 million in research support, including several projects under commercial development. His overall research vision is to develop sustainable, solvent-based chemical processes based on biorenewables that have real-world impact improving everyday life.

Dr Agi Brandt-Talbot

Dr Agi Brandt-Talbot
Agi obtained her PhD from Imperial College in 2011. She originally developed the Dendronic process and has since continued working on it at Imperial College in Jason’s team and is now heading her own research group at Imperial College’s Chemistry Department where she investigates novel lignin materials. In 2015 she was awarded the President's award of excellence for outstanding early career researcher and in 2016 the Sir William Wakeham Award for having made a significant contribution to her research field.
Open positions
Our Future
We are looking for commercial partners to take our technology global. Together, we can address this enormous challenge and provide a sustainable clean alternative for us all.