Ben Cloostermans

Ing. Ben Cloostermans (20-10-1996) is a PhD student at B-PHOT. He graduated from the University of Antwerp (UA) in electromechanical engineering technology with a specialization in design and production. His master’s thesis at the Op3Mech research group covered the application of dynamic infrared thermography for clinical assessment during surgery. Ben started working for ERIKS in September 2019 on an ACTPHAST4.0 innovation project in collaboration with B-PHOT and Prof. Thomas Geernaert. Ben received a Baekeland mandate from VLAIO (Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship) for the continuation of the project. Such mandates aim to give researchers the opportunity to perform a PhD research project in close collaboration with industry. Ben joined the Optical Fiber Sensors team of B-PHOT in October 2020, under the joint supervision of Prof. Thomas Geernaert (VUB B-PHOT) and Dr. Ineke van Severen (ERIKS).

Ben his research at B-PHOT focuses on the instrumentation of gaskets with optical fiber sensors. This allows gasket installation monitoring and predictive maintenance to optimize gasket sustainability.