Kim Ragaert is full professor at Maastricht University. She leads a research group on Brightlands Chemelot Campus with 2 associate professors, 2 senior researchers, 3 assistant professors and 12 PhDs.
Research topics include concepts of quality for recycling, the macromolecular interactions in complex mixes, the effects of contaminations and degradation, design for & from recycling and the balance between different recycling pathways. Interdisciplinary topics include systems thinking for plastics, cost calculation in recycling and how to connect technical quality to LCA.
Kim’s 2017 review paper on plastics recycling has been cited over 1500 times, she was the 2020 European Plastics Recycling Ambassador and co-chair of the steering committee on the well-known 2022 ReShaping Plastics report. She consults for organizations like Plastics Europe, Plastics Recyclers Europe, CEFLEX and ECOS, and works closely with several industrial partners.