Nationality: Romanian, Australian, Canadian (and lived in UK, and Japan)
Background: Chemical Engineering & Cybernetics
Project description: well….
Dan is the head of our team. He loves splendiferous orchestral music, especially when conducted or played by people with intertwisting last names. Citing him: “…Pictures at the exhibition, Mussorgsky-Ravel, but only if directed by Celibidache; still very few concerts have an actual big bell “The Great Gate of Kiev", this one does (43:00). Khatia Buniatishvili is also great“. His favorite book is Imaginary magnitude, by Stanisław Lem and his favorite animal is his cat Sid who of course has a lot to say about our projects too.
Nationality: Mexican
Background: Gala studied in Mexico and graduated with a degree in Environmental Engineering. She worked for some years in an ERA team for the hydrocarbon sector but decided to start her master's in the Biological Microfluidics team in 2021, where she later Fast-tracked to PhD in 2022.
Project description: Gala's research is focused on understanding the exploration and motility strategies of distributed systems such as filamentous fungi and through single agents such as bacteria and algae, using microfluidic devices.
Gala is totally OBSESSED with her three dogs, or any dog for that matter (especially when wearing winter boots and coats). She loves finding new coffee shops in cities and will totally judge a place by its croissants and latte art. She'll always make memes and Harry Potter references to explain a certain situation, believes humans are nefarious, planet Earth is doomed, and saying "comfortable" in English is a horrible experience.
Nationality: Iranian
Background: B.Sc, M.Sc AND PhD Chemical Engineering
Project description: Mohammad has done research in bioelectrochemical processes, microsystem engineering, and biomedical engineering. His current project is focused on mimicking the phenomenon and understanding the causes of gas embolism in microfluidic systems.
Mohammad is starting his second PhD with our team. He likes swimming, bodybuilding, and mountain climbing. His favorite music is pop and he is REALLY into American pizza (no offense Italians). Currently, he is into watching western movies and documentaries. He loves discussing different topics and is one of the few people on Earth who can easily start from scratch and go back to the beginning of a process without feeling frustrated.
Nationality: Mexican
Background: Arturo has a B.Sc. in Nanotechnology Engineering and a Minor in Genomics and Synthetic Biology from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. He worked at the IMSS Proteomics Laboratory on peptide design and nanoencapsulation. His expertise focuses on nanofabrication and advanced materials. He's also co-founder of Lafajet, a startup addressing educational challenges through software.
Project description: His current doctoral research focuses on the design and development of microfluidic devices for Point-of-Care (PoC) applications. It involves the study and comparative analysis of 2D and 3D microchannel architectures to optimize flow dynamics and recovery efficiency.
He is a curious and energetic individual who enjoys meeting new people, cycling around the city, and discovering new restaurants. A passionate Formula 1 fan, he finds inspiration both in science and everyday life.
Nationality: Czech
Background: Lucie spent her college years at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. After finishing her undergrad in Drug synthesis and pharmaceutical engineering, she shifted to Chemical engineering and bioengineering, where she pursued both her Master’s degree and Ph.D. Her research primarily focused on powder technology and encapsulation of active compounds, including enzymes. During her Ph.D., she led several student research projects and participated in the university’s Student council.
Project description: Lucie is part of the Gas embolism project. She has worked on using microfluidics to mimic bubble formation associated with medical procedures such as laparoscopy or gastroscopy. Now, she is building a mini hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit.
Lucie loves books, traveling, and food. She is also the biggest sports fan and a runner. When she’s not watching tennis or hockey, she’s probably telling someone about it or heading out for a run to burn off all the emotions.