About us
Founded in 2014 as a spin-off from BOKU University Vienna, enGenes Biotech is a service and technology provider driven by innovation. As pioneers in microbial expression systems, we deliver cutting-edge solutions for recombinant protein and pDNA production, acting as pro-active partners to our customers.
Based in Vienna, Austria, our multidisciplinary team helps accelerate biotech development from early feasibility studies to scalable manufacturing processes worldwide.
CEO & Managing Partner
Juergen Mairhofer, PhD
Juergen co-founded enGenes Biotech after working as a Research Associate at the intersection of genetic and bioprocess engineering at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria. Prior to this, he completed a PostDoc at the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib GmbH.), working in the research field “Microbial Cell Design” were he led the sequencing and engineering of different host strains for the production of recombinant proteins. He has authored several peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters and received trainings from the University of Iceland (Systems Biology / Genome-scale stoechiometric modeling) and the University of Bielefeld (Microbial Genomics & Transcriptomics).
Juergen holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Scientific Advisor & Co-Founder
Gerald Striedner, PhD
Gerald is full time Professor for bioprocess engineering at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria. He is head of the microbial fermentation group at the Department of Biotechnology and has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. Additionally, he is listed as an inventor on more than five patent applications. His research activities include process analytical technology (PAT), bioprocess optimisation, and systems biology.
Peter Hacker
CFO & Managing Partner
Peter brings 25+ years of experience in finance, spanning banks, corporations, private equity, and early-stage companies. At enGenes, he drives the company’s financial strategy and supports its ongoing growth.
Ophelia Gevaert, PhD
Business Development Manager
Ophelia has over 10 years of biotech experience, focusing on pioneering technology development and early commercialisation. At enGenes, she leads the market introduction of our products and services.
Urs Spitz, PhD
Non-Executive Director
Urs is an entrepreneur, scientist, investor, and board member supporting various chemical and biotech companies. He gained experience at Bain & Company and Mettler-Toledo, and has grown Biosynth into a leading international supplier of life science raw materials.
Patrick Stargardt, PhD
Senior Bioprocess Scientist
Patrick has over 10 years of bioprocessing experience and holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. He leads enGenes’ R&D and supports business development.
Markus Berg, PhD
Senior Bioprocess Scientist
Markus holds a PhD in Bioprocess Engineering from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, and expanded his downstream processing expertise at UCL and acib. He leads DSP activities.
Natalia Danielewicz, PhD
Senior Bioprocess Scientist
Natalia earned a PhD through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action and gained industrial experience at Cargill. She leads USP activities, and is our expert in non-canonical amino acids.
Carina Eschenbach, MSc
Junior Bioprocess Scientist
Carina holds a Master's degree in Biotechnology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, with a specialisation in
Bioprocess Engineering. She manages molecular biology and strain engineering activities.
Florian Simon, MSc
Junior Bioprocess Scientist / PhD candidate
Florian graduated in Biotechnology at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. Within his current PhD research, he is driving the development of continuous biomanufacturing in E. coli.
Zerina Arnautalic
Lab technician
Zerina has expertise in molecular biology from experience in both academic and applied biotech settings. She oversees lab operations and supports analytics.
Dominik Sperl
Lab technician
Dominik has a background in biochemistry and supports upstream and downstream operations.
Katarina Kostolanska
Office Manager / Administration
Katarina previously worked as Office Manager at an Austrian IT Company for more than six years. At enGenes, she handles administration, HR, and supports the finance department.
Our team
Bringing together diverse expertise to tackle your bioprocessing needs.