Sustainable polymer chemistry focused on designing innovative materials through biomimetic approaches, with applications in nanostructured systems and environmental solutions.

Research in my group is centered around macromolecular engineering by biomimetic inspiration. We have many strands to our research portfolio that focus on developing strategies to control preparation of complex macromolecular topologies by designing new monomers, initiators and on-demand catalysts. Our research efforts are in turn primarily focused on sustainability on polymer science that includes both ‘green’ methodologies for polymer synthesis and development of strategies to tackle plastic waste and valorize carbon dioxide. To drive our chemical discoveries towards application, we work in close collaboration with engineers, biologists and medics across academia and industry.

Transforming our plastic waste and CO2 into new functional materials? This is an important part of our research project. The project seeks to unlock the potential of two emblematic waste products, carbon dioxide (CO2) and polyolefins – one of the most environmentally damaging families of plastics – to create new functional materials with superior properties. This is a highly innovative environmental issue at a time when the growing demand for plastics and the development of effective recycling methods have become global concerns.