Detergents and Cleaning Products

Dirk Bockmühl obtained his PhD in Microbiology on the molecular pathogenicity of Candida albicans. Until 2010 he worked in the consumer goods industry, where he was responsible for numerous microbiological projects for cosmetics and the laundry and home care sector. Afterwards he changed to the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve, Germany, as a professor for hygiene and microbiology. His research interest is in domestic hygiene, especially in the development of consumer-related test methods for laundry and cleaning, and in the research on microbial communities in the domestic setting. Professor Bockmühl is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Sepawa and of the Division of Detergent Chemistry of the German Chemical Society (GDCh).

Britta Brands is Director of Laboratory – Applied Hygiene at Dr. Brill + Prof. Bockmühl Institute for Applied Hygiene. She completed her Master’s degree in Biology at Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) in 2006 and worked as a research associate in the Hygiene and Microbiology group at the Faculty of Life Sciences, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, from 2013 to 2021. In 2021, she earned her PhD from the University of Bonn with her dissertation on developing a new method to identify parameters influencing microbial reduction in domestic dishwashers. Since 2017, Britta has been a member of VDE working group 513.5.5 on the microbiological properties of dishwashers. She has also been active in the IEC SC 59A WG3 “Measurement of microbiological properties” since 2017 and has served as Convenor since 2022, coordinating work on IEC 63331. Since July 2025, she has also been serving as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Tenside Surfactants Detergents.

Florian H. H. Brill is Managing Director of Dr. Brill + Partner Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology in Hamburg and has been active in leading roles within the German laboratory sector for many years. He was first elected to the VUP Presidium in 2016 and served as President of the Association of Independent Testing Laboratories (VUP) from 2021 to 2023, after his election as President on 17 June 2021. In addition, he heads the VUP project group “VUP 2025” and represents the association in numerous external committees.

Majlinda Cobaj is a regulatory and scientific affairs professional at A.I.S.E., the European Detergents and Maintenance Products Association, based in Belgium. In her role, she contributes to the association’s work on regulatory frameworks, technical guidance, and industry initiatives supporting safe and sustainable use of detergent and maintenance products. She represents A.I.S.E. in expert groups and collaborates closely with members, stakeholders, and EU institutions on key regulatory topics.

Frank Dierkes is a Senior Manager at Reckitt´s Centre of Excellence for Automatic Dishwashing in Heidelberg. He worked in several functions on the development of innovative technologies across the Finish Automatic dishwashing portfolio. The guiding principle of his work throughout the years is to see the automatic dishwashing process as an ecosystem of dishwasher, detergent & dishes. Before joining Reckitt in 2001, Frank worked for the former Witco Corp. in Geneva (Switzerland) as a Scientist in the Industrial Surfactant department. He received his diploma and PhD in Chemistry (Heinrich-Heine University of Düsseldorf, Germany, in collaboration with the Research Center Jülich, Germany ), As a result, he has experience in different R&D areas, including surfactants, analytics and colloid & physical chemistry.

Philip Heldt studied human biology and has been a Resource Protection Officer in the Environmental Department at the Consumer Association of North Rhine-Westphalia in Dusseldorf, Germany, since 2009. His areas of focus include circular economy, raw materials, packaging, water, and environmental toxins.

Julie Janssis is a Belgian national currently residing in Brussels. She holds a master’s degree in chemistry from the Université libre de Bruxelles and is certified in Project Management (PRINCE2® Foundation). With over 10 years of experience in product technical and regulatory affairs in the medical devices and personal protective equipment sectors, she is currently serving as Head of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at A.I.S.E. Amongst other points, she was responsible for overseeing and coordinating A.I.S.E.’s work on the revision of the EU Detergents Regulation over the past year.

Zena Malocho is Division Manager for Laboratory Operations at SGS Institut Fresenius Germany. She has worked in the fields of Cosmetic, Personal Care and Household Consumer Testing Services for over 16 years.

Meris Milek has an educational background completed in Brazil, as Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (FSA University), a Master Specialist degree in Engineering – Industrial Processes (Oswaldo Cruz University), and an MBA in Market Intelligence (FIA Business School – AMBAs). She began her career in 2002 at Solvay (formerly Rhodia) in Quality Control. In 2003, she joined Procter & Gamble, where she spent nearly 12 years across Quality and Process Control functions, with nine of those years dedicated specifically to Product Development. During this period, she worked on the launch and optimization of ingredients, formulations, and manufacturing processes for Fabric Care products in the Brazilian and South American market. In 2014, Meris joined Evonik and was responsible for establishing the Household Applied Technology Center for LATAM, where she remained until 2022. She currently serves as Applied Innovation Manager for Evonik Cleaning Solutions North America, focusing on projects and technology development involving sustainable and biobased products for Home Care and Industrial & Institutional Cleaning.

Stephanie Morris-Piou is a Scientific Coordinator in the Household Care Division at IKW (Industrieverband Körperpflege- und Waschmittel e. V.), where she contributes to consumer-oriented initiatives and materials for the FORUM WASCHEN platform focused on sustainable washing, cleaning and household practices. She has represented IKW at industry forums and multipliers’ conferences, presenting new materials and concepts to communicate best practices in cleaning and hygiene to stakeholders.

Dorit Munzke is a chemist with many years of experience in product development, materials testing, and sensor technology. She is a project manager in the “Home and Leisure” team at Stiftung Warentest in Berlin, where she is jointly responsible for testing and evaluating consumer goods with a focus on detergents and cleaning products.

Machiel Olde Dubbelink has been Managing Director of NobleBio B.V. since 1995, leading the company for over 30 years in the development and international growth of sustainable microbial-based biotechnology solutions. Under his long-term leadership, NobleBio has established itself as a trusted innovator in environmental, industrial, and hygiene-focused applications.

Volkert de Villeneuve holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, and has over 15 years of experience in product and technology development. He is the Founder and Director of Lysning Innovation Consultants (Voorburg, NL) and has held global technical roles at Unilever and IFF, with experience across fabric, home, and personal care, as well as fine fragrances. At IFF, Volkert led an encapsulation development team.