My goal is to become a leader in sustainable manufacturing and recycling of polymers and composites, with an initial focus on fiber-based functional materials and textiles. Specifically, my lab will focus on energy-efficient recycling and manufacturing of polymer-based textiles for structural and sensing applications.

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Thanks to their hierarchical structure, from molecular design to fiber assembly through weaving, knitting, or random interlacing, textiles stand as one of the most profitable, yet most CO2 emitting, industries in the world. For example, the production of each ton of polymer-based textiles is estimated to release 17 tons of CO2e, versus 3.5 tons and 1 ton for plastic and paper, respectively. To disrupt this, it is necessary to propose engineered solutions which can be processed and reprocessed sustainably at large scales, while providing the desired sensing, structural, or aesthetic properties fitted to their application.

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Vision for sustainable textiles: While textiles have several applications for industrial purposes and everyday use, their properties often rely on combinations of multiple materials to fulfill their specific functional requirements. This composite nature results in particularly energy- and time-consuming manufacturing and challenging recyclability. In my lab, we will engineer new materials and manufacturing solutions that focus on reducing the energy footprint of textile processing and recycling. Sustainable textile manufacturing relies on an interdisciplinary skillset at the intersection of polymer chemistry, materials science, and machine design. Additionally, colorimetric textiles development requires knowledge in stimuli-responsive nanomaterials and photonics. My experience in these fields makes me uniquely well-suited to build an independent research program exploring innovative solutions for functional textiles.