Mathijs Vleugel holds a PhD in biophysics/cell biology and became head of the Helmholtz Open Science Office in September 2024. In this role, he supports the Helmholtz Association, its research centers, and the wider research community in shaping the cultural change towards Open Science.

Before joining the Helmholtz Open Science Office, Mathijs worked as a science policy expert at the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA), where he coordinated the 2023 revision of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and contributed to policy statements at the intersection of Open Science, Research Integrity, and Research Assessment. Mathijs currently also serves as the chair of the German National Chapter of the Coalition on Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).