"Structural features of polymer parts, created during product shaping from the melt state, determine, to a great extent, the final properties. Understanding the shaping step is, therefore, of utmost importance for product design."

Gerrit Peters is a Full Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), where he is Chair of Theoretical and Applied Rheology. Key areas of expertise are rheology of polymers and soft tissues and structure development during polymer processing. His current research focused on these areas, more specifically on constitutive modeling of mechanical induced phase changes and structure–property relations. Applications are found in film blowing, extrusion, injection molding and electrospinning of amorphous, semi-crystalline and reactive polymers. His work also incorporates the development of dedicated experimental setups such as, for example, a unique dilatometer (the Pyrouette) that allows for high cooling rates and sample shearing.

Gerrit also participates in the research of biomechanics. He was involved in the development and testing of heart valves prosthesis, tissue engineered heart valves and still works on the rheology of different biological tissues such as brain tissue, thrombus, skin and fat.

Gerrit Peters studied Mechanical Engineering at TU/e, where he obtained his MSc in 1983. He received his PhD from the University of Maastricht in 1987. In 2011, Gerrit was appointed as Personal Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, owing to his unique international scientific contributions. He is a member of the board of editors for the journal Rheology Acta and the journal Macromolecular Materials and Engineering and a referee for a number of journals (Macromolecules, Journal of Rheology, Rheologica Acta, Polymer, Journal of Biomechanics, Macromolecular Theory and Simulations etc.)

He was the chairman of the Council, chairman of the Career and Appointment committee and member of many other committees of the Department Mechanical Engineering. He is also International representative of The Polymer Processing Society and (co-) organizer of many conference sessions and workshops.

• Society of Rheology
• Polymer Processing Society
• DPI (Dutch Polymer Institute)
• PTN (Polymer Technology Netherlands)

Partners in (semi-)industry 

• DSM / SABIC
• TNO
• ExxonMobil
• VMI