Carlijn Bouten is full professor of Cell-Matrix Interaction at the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Her research concentrates on new engineering approaches to regenerate tissues and organs inside the human body, in particular for the cardiovascular system. A prominent example is the development of a synthetic, bio-degradable heart valve prosthesis that ‘seduces’ the body to create a new, living heart valve at the site of implantation. She performs her research in close collaboration with material scientists, life scientists and clinicians, mainly within large (inter)national public-private partnerships.  

Prof. Bouten is recipient of the prestigious Aspasia (2002) and VICI (2003) career development awards of the Dutch National Science Foundation and theme-leader ‘Regenerative Medicine’ of the strategic area Health at TU/e. From 2007-2009 she was visiting professor at the dept. of Cardiothoracic Surgery, UMC Utrecht; and in 2013 she was visiting professor at Harvard Medical School to further the translational aspects of her research. Since 2017 she spearheads the national gravitation program ‘Materials-Driven Regeneration’.

Prof. Bouten serves on several professional organizations and boards, including the board of the Netherlands Organization for Heatlth Research and Development, the board of directors of the international Heart Valve Society, the International Society of Applied Cardiovascular Biology, and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Dutch Heart Foundation. Bouten is elected member of AcademiaNet for Outstanding Female Scientists and Scholars in Europe. She was member of the Young Academy of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW, 2005-2010) and later (2017) elected as lifetime member of the Academy.