AMELOOTGROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chemistry, University of Maribor, Slovenia
- Postdoc
Aleksander Matavž Postdoc Aleksander is working on the fundamental electrical and dielectric properties of MOFs and their implementation in advanced electronic applications as ultra-low-k dielectrics and in gas sensing devices. B.Sc. Chemistry, University of Maribor, Slovenia (2010) M. Sc., Ph. D. Nanosciences and Nanotechnology, Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Slovenia (2019)
Alex investigated the chemical vapor deposition of metal-organic frameworks (MOF-CVD) and process scale-up as an industry-ready, cleanroom-compatible unit operation. He also worked on the direct molecular layer deposition of MOFs for integrated applications. Alex was affiliated with imec and the Research Group Electrochemical and Surface Engineering Group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB); he is currently a member of the scientific staff for science outreach initiatives at the Ameloot Group alongside his industry work.
Andres Vandenborre MSc Student Part of the team from October 2022 to June 2023 Under the supervision of Jonas, Andres studies powder-based 3D printing applications for pharmaceuticals. B. Sc. Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven (2020)
Annelies is the group's very punctual and incredibly efficient administrative manager.
Bart is our group's lab manager, dealing with both engineering and health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE) sides of our day-to-day scientific activities.
Job Titles:
- Innovation Manager
- Valorization Manager
As an innovation manager, Bart's mission is to create value for industrial partners based on the group's research output. He will also lead the intellectual property management domain of the team. Prior to this role, he has gained R&D and general management experience in the areas of surface treatments and printed materials.
Bavo Van den Eynde MSc Student Part of the team from September 2022 to June 2023 Supervised by An, Bavo is working on improving NMR- and MRI-imaging performance using 3D-printed magnetic shims. B. Sc. Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven (2021)
Benzheng Xia Doctoral Student Benzheng Xia is working on the investigation of the electrical properties of MOFs synthesized by solvothermal and MOF-CVD processes. His research interest is on novel materials for future electronic devices.
Breght De Schepper MSc Student Part of the team from September 2021 to June 2022 Supervised by Nathalie, Breght works on ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 membranes for gas separation of propane and propylene. For this project, he studies the effect of sputtering, atomic layer deposition, MOF-on-MOF layers and ozone degradation on gas separation of ZIF membranes. B. Sc. Bioscience Engineering, University of Leuven (2020)
Cesar's research focus is on designing, simulating, fabricating, and characterizing 3D-printed microfluidic devices.
Christian is building the bridge between lab research and industrial applications for recycling and more general, resource management. His main focus is efficient material detection using optical techniques & computing.
Clement Achille Doctoral Student Part of the team from November 2014 to June 2019 Clément worked on 3D printing for biomedical applications. His work was aimed at adding chemical/biological properties in 3D printouts to enable diagnostic tools and biocompatible materials.
Dieter Breukers MSc Student Part of the team from September 2019 to June 2020 Supervised by Elif, Dieter worked on 3D-printed platforms for catalytic applications.
Job Titles:
- Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia ( 2017 ) Research Stay at Delft University of Technology ( 2016 ) Ph. D., Bioscience Engineering, KULeuven ( 2021 )
- Postdoc
Dmitry Kravchenko Postdoc Part of the team from October 2017 to November 2022 Dmitry's research focuses on the solvent-free fabrication of thin films made of micro- and mesoporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In particular, he concentrates on the use of vapor-phase conversion of inorganic precursors to enable integration in microelectronics and gas separation. B. Sc., M. Sc. Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia (2017) research stay at Delft University of Technology (2016) Ph. D., Bioscience Engineering, KULeuven (2021)
Dries Bombeek MSc Student Part of the team from September 2021 to June 2022 Guided by Jonas, Dries studies the optimization of the hydrostatic pre-loading of reagent and buffer solutions trough 3DPrinted capillary pumps in PDMS microfluidic chips. B. Sc. Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven (2020)
Emilie Pattyn MSc Student Part of the team from September 2019 to June 2020 Emilie was supervised by Giel and Max; she researched on chemometrics using data generating from the custom-built gas-sensing-dosing platform established in our group.
Under Lore's supervision, Frederic is researching 3D printed microfuel cells in order to power point of care devices.
Guanghai Fei Postdoc Fei's project is on the stereolithographic additive manufacturing focused on microfluidic device fabrication. B. Sc. Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, China (2013) M. Sc. Civil Engineering, Central South University, China (2016)
Job Titles:
- Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven
- Postdoc
Under Cesar's supervision, Hans worked on 3D-printed microfluidic gradient generators driven by capillary flow for biomedical applications.
Henry Ordutowski MSc Student Part of the team from September 2015 to June 2016 Henry worked on 3D printing for biomedical applications under the guidance of Clément Achille.
Ines Tejedor Ramos Visiting Researcher Part of the team from June 2022 to September 2022 Inés is doing her Ph.D. at PLATON group (University of Zaragoza) thanks to a grant from the Aragon Government. She focuses on the use of the Langmuir-Blodget technique to obtain monolayers and multilayers of MOFs and MOPs. She is working with dense MOFs with high magnetocaloric effects and with porous MOFs to study their gas adsorption and separation properties. During her stay, she will work on the fabrication of MOF films by CVD, sputtering and spin-coating techniques. B.Sc.Chemistry, University of Zaragoza (2018) M.Sc Nanostructured Materials for Nanotechnology Applications, University of Zaragoza (2019)
Ivo Stassen Postdoc Part of the team from October 2014 to September 2019 Ivo worked on thin film deposition of MOFs for integrated applications. His research has initiated the development of vapor deposition techniques for MOFs. He specializes in the characterization of thin films by physisorption techniques and is eager to demonstrate future gas sensing applications. Other research interests include photochemical functionalization of MOFs, patterning and electronic devices. Ivo was supported by an FWO fellowship and the Belgian-American Foundation (MIT), and is co-supervising Alex' PhD.
James Campbell Postdoc Part of the team from January 2017 to September 2017 James' research interest revolved around the fabrication of membranes for gas separation processes using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). When he was in Leuven, James developed ultra-thin membranes using the novel MOF-CVD technique pioneered within the research group, tested them for gas separations in collaboration with Prof. Ivo Vankelecom.
Supervised by Pieter, Jan-Hendrik focuses on shape-selective electrocatalysis using a Zeolite/MOF layer on the electrode.
Jasper was a thesis student under Timothée's supervision. His research focused on the chemical vapor deposition of metal-organic framework thin films and its application in sensing devices.
Supervised by Martin and Dmitry, Jessica was a visiting student from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She worked on the implementation of hybrid materials in optoelectronic devices.
Job Titles:
- Chemical Engineering, University of Guanajuato, Mexico ( 2014 ) M. Sc. Chemistry, University of Guanajuato, Mexico ( 2016 )
- Postdoc
Joachim is a thesis student under Alex's supervision. His focus was on the molecular layer deposition of metal-organic framework thin films and its application in sensing devices.
Jochen Lodewijckx MSc Student Part of the team from September 2019 to June 2020 Jochen researched on MOF-CVD for molecular separations supervised by Nathalie and Sabina. He had his industrial internship with Pfizer working on freeze-dried pharmaceuticals.
Jonas is working on 3D-printed point-of-care diagnostic devices, as a continuation of his Master's thesis project with the Ameloot Group.
Building upon his Master's thesis project on molecular layer deposition (MLD) of MOFs, Jorid's Ph.D. work is on the development of plasmonic sensors enhanced by MOF-MLD. His work is carried out in collaboration with Prof. Sammy Verbruggen's lab at the University of Antwerp.
Jorunn's research covers the development of an optical sensor for acid vapour sensing using MOF integrated plasmonic structures. She can count on Jorid's supervision.
João's research focus will be on the integration of MOFs in capacitive sensing structures, with the aim of developing a MOF-based sensor platform for the selective detection of VOCs in complex mixtures.
Job Titles:
- Chemistry, University of Lisbon ( 2014 ) Ph. D., Bioscience Engineering, KULeuven ( 2020 )
- Postdoc
João Marreiros Postdoc João's research focuses on MOF design and post-synthetic modification, and the development of advanced characterization methods by physisorption and NMR. João was part of the Marie Curie training network 'DEFNET'. B. Sc., M. Sc. Chemistry, University of Lisbon (2014) Ph. D., Bioscience Engineering, KULeuven (2020)
Katrien worked on the optimization complex full carbon cages, supervised by Timothée.
Under Lore's supervision, Kobe is researching 3D printed micro fuel cells in order to power point-of-care devices.
Kris provided scientific support on various projects and in the establishment of our custom-made IT resources.
Supervised by Hanne, Laura worked on 3D-printing for medical apparatus applications (MRI shims).
Lenz was working on the post-synthetic ligand exchange in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks under João's.
After doing her M.Sc. thesis at the Ameloot Group, Lore is continuing on her work on 3D-printed platforms for biomedical applications.
Ma Paul Nattapol Postdoc Part of the team from April 2023 to March 2023 Paul's research focuses on developing metal-organic glasses for intermediate-temperature proton conductors. B.Eng. Chemical Engineering, KMITL, Thailand (2016) M.Eng. Chemical Engineering, VISTEC, Thailand (2019) Ph.D. Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan (2023)
Supervised by Martin, Maider is working on novel processes to deposit ionic liquids on surfaces.
As part of a doctoral stay and a collaboration, Mariana worked with on double-layered hydroxides and metal-organic frameworks, their synthesis, characterization, and application as catalysts.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Visiting Researcher
Marianne Kräuter was a visiting researcher from October-November 2018. At the time of her visit, she was affiliated with the Graz University of Technology, Austria, under the supervision of Prof. Anna Maria Coclite and Prof. Roland Resel.
Martin Obst Postdoc Part of the team from June 2018 to August 2021 Martin is working on surface coatings (e.g., MOFs) with ionic liquids for catalytic applications. B. Sc. Chemistry, Technical University Freiberg (2012) M. Sc. Chemistry, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (2014) Ph. D. Organic Chemistry, University of Regensburg (2018)
María is doing her Ph.D. at the FuniMAT group at the Institute of Molecular Science (University of Valencia). She works on the processing of Ti(IV)-MOFs as thin films to fabricate MOF-based devices.
During her stay, she will explore the vapor-assisted conversion method to prepare thin films of heterometallic MOFs using an aerosol generator.
Masaya started a joint PhD project between KU Leuven and TU Dublin. His research project focuses on developing a MOF-based sensor array for VOC detection.
Max Lutz Tietze Postdoc Supported by an FWO postdoctoral grant, Max is focusing on sensor development employing metal-organic frameworks in photonic crystal and ChemFET structures. B. Sc., M. Sc., Ph. D. Physics, Technische Universität Dresden (2014) Postdoc and Research Consultant, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (2014-2016) Postdoc, Technische Universität Dresden (2016-2017)
Mikhail Krishtab Postdoc Part of the team from November 2017 to August 2021 Mikhail is exploring new strategies for the integration of MOF-CVD into nanoelectronics devices. The elucidation of the link between surface topography and its functionality on the assembly of metal-organic frameworks forms the core of his study. B. Sc. (honors), M. Sc. (honors) Engineering and Technology, St-Petersburg State Electrotechnical University, Russia (2012)
Supervised by Margot, Miruna focuses on the synthesis of thin-film MOFs through chemical vapor deposition and hybrid MOFs via vapor phase linker exchange, with the end goal of integrating those MOFs into sensors for the detection of volatile organic compounds.
Nando will study 3D printed shims and receive coils for NMR and MRI applications, he is supervised by An.
Neus Crespí Visiting Researcher Part of the team from January 2022 to June 2022 Neus received a FPU PhD grant from the Spanish government and is currently working at the Materials Chemistry Group of the University of the Balearic Islands. Her research group focuses on the synthesis of porous materials, the development and improvement of analytical techniques for controlling and monitoring different parameters of environmental interest, and the elimination of pollutants present in the environment. During her stay in the Ameloot Group, Neus will work on ultrathin films of electrically conductive MOFs via CVD for the fabrication of MOF-based electronic devices. B. Sc. Chemistry, University of the Balearic Islands (2017) M. Sc. Chemical science and Technology, University of the Balearic Islands (2018)
Job Titles:
- Physics and Materials Science, Aix - Marseille Université ( 2016 ) Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( 2017 - 2021 )
- Postdoc
Niels Houthuys MSc Student Part of the team from September 2015 to June 2016 Niels worked on new types of porous materials under the supervision of Ivo Stassen and Timothée Stassin. In the frame of this research, Niels spent some time with Prof. C. Doonan (University of Adelaide).
Olaya was a visiting student from the University of Vigo in Spain. Her work focused on the study of structural dynamism of coordination polymer compounds with different external stimuli, e.g., the effect of temperature of guest molecules.
Paul is our lead technical staff who can fix almost anything electrical, mechanical, and digital!
Pieter focuses on demonstrating shape selectivity in electrocatalysis by employing an ALD-based bottom-up design strategy for electrodes. The project is in collaboration with Prof. Dirk De Vos.
Under Clement's supervision from September 2016 to June 2017, Pieter's work focused on 3D printing for biomedical applications.
Job Titles:
- B.Tech. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Technological Institute of Textile & Sciences, Bhiwani
- Postdoc
Prateek Bindra Postdoc Part of the team from August 2022 to September 2022 The main focus of Prateek's research will be on the integration of microelectronics and MOFs, resulting in the development of MOF-based sensor platform for the selective detection of VOCs. B.Tech. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Technological Institute of Textile & Sciences, Bhiwani (2009) M.E. in Microelectronics, Ph.D. from Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, Pilani (2020) Research Assistant, Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, Pilani (2021) Guest Faculty, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar (2022)
Under the supervision of Jonas, Raf focuses on powder-based 3D printing for controlled drug release.
Rob obtained his PhD at KU Leuven in 2011. Afterwards he moved to the US, to work at UC Berkeley. Since Oct 2014, he is active as a research professor (BOF-ZAP) at KU Leuven.
His main research interests are: porous materials, crystal engineering, thin films, new materials for microelectronics, 3D printing.
Robrecht Cleiren MSc Student Part of the team from September 2020 to July 2021 Supervised by Hanne, Robrecht is researching the possibilities of using 3D printing to produce passive magnetic shims to enhance the homogeneities of the magnetic field in NMR. B. Sc. Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp (2019) R&D Assistant, Flen Health, Kontich (2019)
Ruben Dochy Doctoral Student Ruben works on 3D-printed point-of-care diagnostic devices. His work includes device design and characterization, 3D printer modification, ink development, and bioassay implementation. B. Sc., M. Sc. Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven (2018)
Sabina Rodriguez Hermida Postdoc Part of the team from October 2017 to January 2020 Sabina studied new MOF-CVD chemistries for membrane separation and elucidates the hetero-epitaxial structural relationship of MOF hybrids.
Santosh Kumar Pal Postdoc Part of the team from May 2022 to November 2022 Santosh's research efforts will be devoted to the development of hybrid proton conducting materials and composites for efficient water electrolysis. Postdoc - Technical University Darmstadt, Germany; Institute for Energy Technology, Norway; Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India PhD. - IFW Dresden and Technical University Dresden, Germany (2015) M.Tech. - Indian Institute of Technology - IIT Bombay, India (2009) B.Sc., M.Sc. - University of Allahabad, India (2006)
Guided by Jorid, Sara is working on the development of acid gas sensors consisting of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Her project consists of determining the influence of acid gas on the degradation of different types of MOFs.
Sofie was supervised by Timothee on the chemical vapor deposition of MOFs.
Sruja Amitkumar Dave MSc Student Part of the team from September 2020 to July 2021 Guided by Victor, Sruja is working on the fabrication of MOF nanofilms for memory devices. B. Sc., M. Sc., Electronic Sciences-Nanotechnology, Bangalore University (2020)
Sybren Van Hasselt MSc Student Part of the team from September 2018 to June 2019 Under Elif's supervision, Sybren worked on 3D printing of catalysts.
Timothée worked on the synthesis and deposition of thin films of metal-organic frameworks and crystalline coordination polymers.
Guided by Margot, Tom is working on the integration of MOFs in sensors for the detection and quantification of volatile organic compounds in the air. His project focuses on the characterization of sensing properties of ZIFs via dosing experiments and data analysis, building on his knowledge in chemometrics.
Vanessa works on the development of tag-enhancing methods for sorting and separation of post-consumer plastic types.
Vetiga Somjit Visiting Researcher Part of the team from June 2022 to November 2022 Vetiga is a Ph.D. student at the molecular science and engineering department of VISTEC, Thailand. Her research focuses on the fabrication of Zr-based MOFs as thin films and aerogels for the adsorption of small molecules such as toxic metals and conductive compounds for water purifications and electronic devices, respectively. In the Ameloot group, she will study the fabrication of MOF films via spray coating.
Under the supervision of Max and Tim, Viktor developed MOF-based gas sensors based on electrical response.
Guided by Timothee, Vincent worked on new MOF-CVD chemistries.
Víctor Rubio-Giménez Postdoc Victor is working on the ultrathin film deposition of electrically conductive MOFs via CVD to fabricate MOF-based electronic devices. Following his short stay in 2018, he is awarded an FWO grant to continue his work in our group. B. Sc. Chemistry, University of València, Spain (2012) M. Sc., Ph. D. Molecular Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of València, Spain (2019)