World Science Day: Celebrating the scientists who move us forward

Elke De Clerck, Senior Vice President Global Innovation, Rousselot

As Senior Vice President of Global Innovation, Elke directs our research & development (R&D) team advancing science-driven solutions that support innovation in collagen and gelatin. Alongside pioneering game-changing innovations for our Peptan® collagen brand, Elke and her team have deepened our understanding of how peptides support specific health concerns. Their breakthrough platform, Nextida®, is already unlocking new opportunities in targeted nutrition and wellness.

Elke is a biotechnologist who holds a Ph.D. in biotechnology with a focus on molecular detection from Ghent University. She has over 20 years of experience turning lab discoveries into real-world products, including 15 years specializing in collagen and peptide technologies at Rousselot. Driven by the belief that great science should fuel bottom-line growth, Elke recently earned an Executive MBA to seamlessly connect her research with corporate finance, supply chain strategy and market profitability.

Elke hopes that science-backed preventive nutrition will become more mainstream. She believes that a discovery in the lab is exciting, but watching it become a product that customers build their brands on and trust to drive growth is even more rewarding.

Esther Prevo-Keijbets, Manager Product and Process Development

As R&D Lead for our international Rendering & Specialties business line, Esther directs new product and process development, innovation and research collaborations. Her work is centered on bio-upcycling animal by-products by identifying innovative technologies, developing resource-efficient processes and characterizing bioactive compounds. Esther’s team translates complex scientific data into tangible nutritional and health benefits for customers and consumers.

Esther holds a BSc in Food Technology, an MSc in Food Science with a focus on Colloid Chemistry and a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds. This academic foundation built a deep understanding of the molecular mechanics behind food properties.

Inspired by a natural curiosity to solve complex puzzles, Esther hopes to see continued breakthroughs in translating nutritional data into new applications. She aims to drive further innovation in blood proteins and native collagen, creating new opportunities in the compound feed, petfood and food markets.

Kerry Courchaine, Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs, Darling Ingredients

Kerry oversees government regulatory compliance and quality assurance programs for all U.S. animal food and fertilizer plants. This critical work supports corporate laboratories and manages compliance for export sales.

Kerry views science as a powerful tool for solving complex industrial problems. Kerry aims to drive new rendering practices and R&D that expand Darling Ingredients' product portfolio and meet the rising demand for premium, sustainable ingredients.

Kerry holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in agriculture, specializing in animal science and nutrition. After beginning in live hog production, Kerry transitioned to the rendering industry in 1999. Over the last two decades, Kerry has built diverse expertise across operations, technical services, quality control, R&D, business development and technical sales.

Mateusz Hess, Principal Scientist, Rousselot

Mateusz serves as a principal scientist at Rousselot where he translates emerging market needs into new product concepts. A typical day involves designing new food ingredient formulations in the lab, verifying them using analytical chemistry and using AI to accelerate research and reduce the need for resource-intensive experimentation.

After earning a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Master’s in Molecular Microbiology, Mateusz completed a Ph.D. in Chemical Biology at King’s College London in 2024. Mateusz brings over 10 years of STEM research experience, co-authoring five peer-reviewed publications. This diverse training spans protein engineering, probiotic microbiology, plant disease sequencing and synthetic chemistry.

Mateusz’s passion for biochemistry was first ignited in high school by Natalie Angier's book Natural Obsession, which detailed early genetic research into childhood cancers. This discovery sparked a lifelong fascination with how proteins and peptides drive biological systems, leading him to follow David Baker's early work on computational protein folding, work that ultimately won a Nobel Prize. Today, Mateusz sees the modern compute and data revolution as a vital accelerator for precision medicine and manufacturing.

At Darling Ingredients, our scientists help us stay innovative and ensure we remain a trusted partner in sustainability. Their dedication to research and development helps us improve our products and processes, and build a better, more resilient world for everyone.