Praveen Thoniyot, holds a PhD in carbohydrate chemistry (2000) from the National Chemical Laboratory, India, on a fellowship from India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. He pursued post-doctoral research at the University of Nantes, France, focusing on organic-inorganic hybrid materials. He Joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2002, working on boron chemistry, free radical polymers, and hydrogels for saccharide-sensing technologies. In 2005, he joined A*STAR, Singapore, leading teams in biodegradable polymers and encapsulation. With several research publications, 16 patent applications, and handling over 12M SGD in project funding from industry and government organizations, he has facilitated several technology adoptions by industry. As an innovator, he has enabled technology development in start-ups like Glumetrics (USA) and Prochem Solutions (Singapore), and co-founded multiple start-ups (Threessentials and Haryoka Molecular Sciences in Singapore, Advaiga Creations in India) which are commercializing the technologies developed by his team. His current research at TU/e in Palmans group focuses on leveraging breakable bonds like Cyclic Ketene Acetals to develop sustainable solutions for applications in biology and material science.