Susanne Kahlen
Application Marketing Manager Flexible Applications, Borealis Polyolefine GmbHDr. Susanne Kahlen
After completing her Master’s in Polymer Engineering and Science at the University of Leoben in 2003, with a thesis on the permeability of woven fibers in collaboration with the University of Milan, Politecnico di Milano, Department of Chemical Engineering, Giulio Natta, Susanne Kahlen began her PhD at the Polymer Competence Center PCCL in Leoben. Her PhD research, conducted as a guest researcher at the University of Oslo’s Institute of Physics, focused on the aging behavior of polymeric absorber materials for solar thermal collectors.
Following several post-doctoral positions at PCCL, Susanne joined Borealis in 2011 as a scientist specializing in low-pressure polyolefins. She worked on polyolefin developments for automotive applications, consumer packaging, and novel technologies such as foaming, covering everything from base polymer to final compound development.
In 2019, Susanne transitioned to the Circular Economy Studio as an Innovation Accelerator, where she worked closely with customers on circular economy initiatives, particularly mechanical recycling. Her role involved supporting mechanical recycling assets and delving into the entire process from feedstock to final recyclate/product.
By 2021, Susanne had joined the Circular Economy Solutions business team as an Application Marketing Manager, overseeing the mechanical recycling portfolio for Ecoplast and mtm plastics. She was responsible for the mechanical recycling strategy, product portfolio management, and competitive market intelligence.
In 2023, Susanne moved to the consumer products flexible team within Borealis, continuing her focus on mechanical recyclates and expanding her responsibilities to include Borealis Queo™ (Plastomer and Elastomer) business for flexible applications. She also took on Bornewable™ (second-generation feedstock) and Borcycle™ C (chemically recycled) activities related to her customer area.
Since 2014, Susanne has co-hosted a lecture on polymer recycling with the scientific staff at the University of Leoben.