Mark van Stiphout is currently member of the Cabinet of the Commissioner for Energy, Günther H. Oettinger, who he advises on nuclear energy and energy research, as well as smart grids and the relations with Russia. Previously he has worked in the Cabinet on other issues such as electricity and gas networks, and as assistant to the Director-General for Energy. Until July 2010, he worked as Policy Officer in DG Energy in the Electricity and Gas Unit, where he began in March 2006. As coordinator of the gas team he is responsible for the liberalisation of the internal market for natural gas, which includes the legislative proposals that are currently being negotiated, the rules on access to infrastructure, gas quality and the organisation of the Madrid Forum.
 
Previous roles include consultancy on renewable energy projects, at Ecofys, with a focus on generating energy from biomass, and Market Analyst at Cogas Energie.
 
His academic career contains post graduate studies in Economics of the Environment and Natural Resources in Paris and a MSc in Technology and Society (at Eindhoven University of Technology).