SIF 2nd Cohort Fellows - Evelina Liarou, University of Warwick
Curriculum Vitae
- Education
06/2016, MSc, University of Athens, Greece, Chemistry
03/2014, BSc, University of Patras, Greece, Chemistry
- Experience
I have been working on Controlled Radical Polymerization and Light Stabilized Dynamic Polymers. I have finished my PhD with >20 publications in prestigious journals. I have been the recipient of numerous prestigious prizes and awards (e.g. Invitation to the 71st Lindau Nobel Laureates meeting, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine PhD thesis prize 2021, Polymer Chemistry outstanding student paper award etc). I have attended >10 international conferences.
- Publications/Research achievements
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Evelina-Liarou
Research Project:
Molecular Level Imaging of Polymers and Polymerization Mechanisms
My research aims to shine the light on the visualization of fundamental chemical reactions that govern the formation and behavior of what is conventionally called “polymer”. With the use of cutting edge characterization tools (i.e. high-resolution microscopy, in-situ spectrometry) the proposed research aims to overwrite the existing stochastic polymerization mechanisms by imaging the fundamental processes of polymer synthesis (initiation, propagation, termination), how the polymer chains grow individually and the way they interact with each other. In this context, I monitor the mechanisms that govern the polymer self-assembly de novo on molecular scale, in order to provide insights on the interactions of single polymer chains with their environments.
This way, the different mechanisms that lead a polymer to adopt e.g. micellar or lamellar conformations are visually depicted. The interdisciplinary alliance between Chemistry and Physics, as well as different institutions synergistically reveal the real world of polymers and polymerizations on molecular, or even atomic level, and answer questions existing for decades on the field of polymer chemistry.