Welcome to my site!

I am a material scientist and polymer chemist. I currently work as a post-doctoral researcher in Sustainable Polymer materials at the University of Twente. Most of my research focuses on the future of plastics, by developing sustainable polymeric solutions. I believe that as scientist, we should develop new scientific discoveries that are beneficial to the environment and adapt to tackle the current societal issues. My research is focusing on developing greener alternatives to the current conventional plastics, especially for agricultural applications.

I completed an international and interdisciplinary PhD in pure and applied chemistry at the University of Strathclyde (2018-2022). My thesis focused on improving the mechanical properties of Bioinspired Amphiphilic polymer conetworks.

My fascination with Bioinspiration started in 2012, while I was doing an exchange program in France. Following this I pursued my passion by completing a Masters degree at ETH Zurich in the Materials Science department.

I have worked in different research groups and countries, which has provided me with a very diverse and understanding scientific outlook.

In addition to my research, I am passionate on scientific outreach, mental health in academia and inspiring under-represented groups to follow scientific careers.

The below links explain different aspects of my work in more detail.

News

CAS Future Leaders Application

A bit about my application process for the the CAS future leaders 2024 program

Writing a successful application for the Female Science Talent Intensive Track Program, application for the 2024 Cohort

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Outreach

STEM Mentoring / Mentoria STEM

Offering STEM mentoring in English, Spanish or Portuguese for underrepresented young students as a way of inspiring the future generations to follow STEM paths.

List of the different outreach activities I participated and organized throughout my PhD studies.

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Publications

Enhancing Stability and Efficacy of Trichoderma Bio-Control Agents Through Layer-by-Layer Encapsulation for Sustainable Plant Protection

Agricultural fungicide pollution poses environmental and health challenges. Potential alternative bio-control agents, such as Trichoderma fungi, face storage limitations. A new encapsulation method using biobased lignin derivatives improves spore stability significantly. Encapsulated Trichoderma spores show enhanced efficacy in cultivating tomatoes, suggesting a promising and sustainable alternative to chemical fungicides for commercialization.

Amphiphilic Polymer Conetwork (APCN) microcapsules based on poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate)-linked by-polydimethylsiloxane (PHEA-l-PDMS) are produced by double emulsion microfluidics. The characteristics of the APCNs allow the microcapsules to be dried and rehydrated multiple times or shrunk without damage. The microcapsules serve as microreactors for catalytic active platinum nanoparticles and their surface can be selectively functionalized with a cholesterol-based linker.

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