Jaap den Toonder studied at Delft University of Technology where he obtained his MSc in Applied Mathematics (with honors). He received his PhD (with honors) from the same university on a numerical/theoretical and experimental study of drag reduction in turbulent flows by polymer additives. In 1995, he joined Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven, and began working in mechanics of solid materials. He worked on a wide variety of applications, such as ceramic capacitors, optical storage systems, IC low-k materials, RF MEMS, soft electronics, biomedical devices, polymer MEMS, and micro-fluidics. In 2008, he became Chief Technologist, leading the R&D program on (micro-)fluidics, and (starting 2011) materials science and engineering. He was involved in research programs on molecular diagnostics, lab-on-chip, immersion lithography and energy applications. In addition to his job at Philips, Jaap den Toonder was a part-time professor at the TU/e Materials Technology group between 2004 and 2013. He has (co-)authored over 100 scientific papers, as well as over 40 patent applications. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Lab on a Chip, Micro-and Nanoelectromechanical Systems, Micromachines, and Biomimetics. Den Toonder is recipient of an ERC Advancd Grant in 2019.