Dr. Loredana Protesescu

I have been an assistant professor since 2019 at  Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen. I am an inorganic chemist with solid expertise in the chemistry of (novel) nanomaterials, their structural particularities, and their surface chemistry in relationship to self-assembly, and their properties. I use chemical design to achieve functional materials at the nanoscale with applications in energy, extreme environment, and bio-applications. I have vast experience in the development of tailored semiconductor nanocrystals with applications in opto-electronic devices. My contribution to the perovskite semiconductors nanocrystals is reflected by my extensive work with lead and tin halide perovskites with 2D and 3D structures and morphologies.

I have published more than 50 papers. I contributed to the development of two patents, and I am the scientific advisor of Peafowl Plasmonics, a Sweden start-up company. Furthermore, I won the Nanomaterials 2020 Young Investigator Award, a Veni NWO grant (2019), and an OTP NWO grant (2024). I was selected as an Early Career Board member for Nano Letters starting 2022. Starting 2023, I am chairing the ECB. 

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

Awards

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

Links

Google Scholar , ORCID , Twitter , LinkedIn