Dr Reif of Sartorius Group has been affiliated with the university for many years and has served as an associate lecturer since 2003, holding lectures and seminars in biotechnology, and advising and mentoring students and doctoral candidates.

He studied chemistry and molecular biology at the University of Hannover, Germany, and at Vanderbilt University in the USA. Dr Reif has been with Sartorius since 1995, initially working in various managerial R&D positions, then since 2005 as head of R&D of the biotechnology division. In 2009, Dr Reif was appointed to the Executive Committee of the French subgroup of Sartorius, Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A and since 2011 he has been the executive vice president of R&D for the entire Sartorius Group. Dr Reif is also a member of the board of the DECHEMA Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.