Dr René Van Berkel

Dr René VAN BERKEL is a leading international expert in circular economy, resource efficiency and innovation, with over 35 years of professional experience as international development professional and academic. In 2023 he joined Thammasat University as international faculty on circular economy and (social) innovation. He also serves as lead circular economy expert for the EU SWITCH Asia Policy Support Component, and since 2024 as founding co-convenor of the ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA). In 2025 he was invited as member of the International Resource Panel, the leading science to policy body on sustainable resource management and use. 

Priorly, he served for over 15 years in different thematic and Asian leadership roles in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization with emphasis on energy and resource efficiency, cleantech innovation, productivity and digitalization. During 1999-2006 he was Professor of Cleaner Production at Curtin University, Australia, following a 10+ year applied research and leadership career at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 

Dr VAN BERKEL is a Dutch national with a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Amsterdam and a Masters in Environmental Hygiene from Wageningen University and Research, both in The Netherlands.