Prof. Loredana Protesescu
University of Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering,
Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials / Chemistry of nanomaterials
I am an Associate Professor specializing in the chemistry of nanomaterials since 2024, following my tenure as an Assistant Professor at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, from 2019. My expertise lies in inorganic chemistry, particularly in the chemistry of novel nanomaterials, their unique structural characteristics, and surface chemistry related to self-assembly and their properties. I employ chemical design to create functional materials at the nanoscale, focusing on applications in energy, extreme environments, and biotechnology.
With extensive experience in developing tailored semiconductor nanocrystals for opto-electronic devices, I have significantly contributed to the field of perovskite semiconductor nanocrystals. My work includes developing lead and tin halide perovskites with various 2D and 3D structures and morphologies.
I have published over 50 papers, contributed to two patents, and serve as the scientific advisor for Peafowl Plasmonics, a Swedish startup. My accolades include the Nanomaterials 2020 Young Investigator Award, a Veni NWO grant (2019), and an OTP NWO grant (2024). I have been an Early Career Board member for Nano Letters since 2022 and have chaired the ECB since 2023.
Research interests:
Chemical design for advanced functionalized nano-materials
My research interest is how to enable functional nanomaterials using chemical design to achieve properties considered impossible for the next generation of applications taking advantage of nanoscale.
I study novel colloidal nano-materials while developing synthetic strategies, and programming their structural particularities and their surface chemistry in relation to their properties and potential applications in energy, extreme environment, and bio-applications. The colloidal nanocrystals are specially designed and studied for their physical properties such as optical characteristics, conductivity, magnetism, ultra-high temperature ceramics, or bio-physics.
Education and professional experience:
2024- present
2019- 2024
2017-2018
2016-2017
January 2016
Associate professor (tenured, ius promovendi), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials
Assistant professor (tenure track), Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials
Postdoctoral Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Chemistry, advisor: Prof. dr. dr. Mircea Dincă, (Swiss National Science Foundation Fellowship).
Postdoctoral Scholar, ETH Zurich/D-CHAB, Functional Inorganic Materials, Kovalenko Group, with Prof. dr. Maksym V. Kovalenko.
Doctoral degree, ETH Zurich/D-CHAB, Functional Inorganic Materials, with Prof. dr. Maksym V. Kovalenko. Thesis title: “Novel luminescence colloidal nanocrystals and studies on nanocrystal surface chemistry”
Awards:
2023 Chair of Early Career Board for Nano Letters
2021 Early Career Board member for Nano Letters (appointed for 3 years)
2020 Nanomaterials 2020 Young Investigator Award, MDPI, Basel.
2019 NWO VENI grant (250K euro). The Netherlands.
2018 ETH Medal (for top 5% PhD Theses), ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
2017 Best PhD Thesis Award in Materials Science, ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
2016 Swiss National Science Foundation Fellowship (early postdoc mobility).
2016 Best Poster Prize at MRS-2016 Conference (Symposium “Perovskite- Based Photovoltaics and Optoelectronic Devices”).
2014 SCNAT_SCS Travel Award.
Teaching experience:
2022-ongoing Coordination chemistry, bachelor (coordinator and lecturer)
2020-ongoing Engineered nanomaterials for industry, master (coordinator and lecturer)
2019-ongoing Structure at Macro, Meso and Nanoscale, master (coordinator and Lecturer)
Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen
Scientific and synergistic activities:
- Total of 54 publications in peer-reviewed journals (Science, JACS, Advanced Materials, ACS nano, Nanoletters, Chemical science, etc)
- Invited lectures and conference participation: >25 lectures (NanoGe-Spring meeting 2022, Amolf – 2022, University of Amsterdam 2022, Twente University, 2022, Nanoseries 2022, Brazil MRS – 2021, University of Uppsala, Sweden/2020, Physics@Veldhoven, the Netherlands/2020, Amolf/The Netherlands/2019, etc)
- 2 patents (with Avantama, Switzerland, 2016: Solid polymer composition, Luminescent crystals and manufacturing thereof 2017).
- 1 patent filed (RUG)
- Peafowl Plasmonics (Sweden Startup)– Scientific Advisor
- Supervisor for 5 PhD students , more than 25 master and bachelor
- Chair of organization Symposium Chemistry of nanomaterials, NanoGe , spring 2021, 2022.
- Public lectures/experiments for primary schools Groningen (2020,2021), on Maturandentag (2012, 2013) and Tag der Offenen Labor (2012, 2013).
- Board of reviewers (2020-2021): Frontiers in Chemistry, Elsevier;
- Active reviewer for journals from ACS, Royal Society, Elsevier.
Membership of professional societies:
ACS (since 2013), MRS member (since 2015)
Professional service and management:
- Early Career Board member for Nano Letters (appointed for 3 years)
- Scientific executive boards (External, review committees, program committees)
- Program committee national meetings- Physics@Veldhoven (2022) – CHAINS (2022)
- Selection of executive boards (internal, Faculty board, institute, educational)
- Member of Board of Examiners (Nanoscience/Physics)-2023- present)
- Member of Program Committee (CH/CE)-2019-2023)
- Member of curriculum committee Master Advanced materials 2020
- PhD defense committees RUG, University of Amsterdam.
- Organizer PhD colloquium and Zernike Colloquium.
- Webinars organization for materials chemistry group (with participants from Zernike Institute of Advanced Materials),
Media:
It's okay to have kids https://ukrant.nl/magazine/its-okay-to-have-kids/?lang=en