What is your background and research interests?
My background is in chemical engineering and biotechnology, and I am now a professor in biopolymers and biomaterials at NTNU. My research interest is natural polymers (biopolymers), their structure-function relationships and how we can tailor new properties with enzymatic and chemical modifications. I am particularly interested in how the biopolymers and hydrogel systems interacts with biological systems and to tailor them for use in biomedical applications e.g. in cell therapy and tissue engineering.
What are your plans as a guest researcher at the institute?
I will engage with researchers within the Theme “Biomaterials 4.0” in the meetings at the Pufendorf Institute. I will also meet separately with the researchers within the Biomaterials group and other scientists at Lund University to discuss science and possibilities for collaborations. I will give a guest lecture at the department of chemistry on “Engineering alginate for biomedical applications”.
How do you hope to benefit from your work with the Theme?
The Theme “Biomaterials 4.0” and discussing biomaterials in the future is highly interesting for me as a researcher. I work within the field of biomaterials and see this as an excellent opportunity to discuss directions of future research, relevant for the field in general and for my own research. I also see this as an excellent opportunity to interact with scientists with expert fields complementary to mine and discuss common interest. The group is highly interdisciplinary, and having the perspectives also of scientists outside the area of natural sciences is highly interesting. I hope the work within the Theme will lead to new perspectives and future collaborations.
What do you reckon your main contribution to the Theme will be?
I will contribute with my key knowledge in biopolymers and biomaterials and perspectives within biomaterials for the future. I will contribute with my knowledge and network, when relevant, to planned activities and new initiatives. Coming from the outside relative to the core group, I may also contribute to the process and discussions by sharing my perspectives on this.