Principal Investigator
Daria Camilla Boffito   |
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Her research interests include process intensification, biomass conversion, heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis, ultrasound, microwaves, gas-to-liquid processes, and synthesis of drug delivery systems. She was featured as Emerging Leader in Chemical Engineering (2019) by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) and she is executive editor of the journal Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. Before joining Polytechnique Montréal as a Professor, she was a post-doc in the team of Prof. Gregory Patience as a FRQNT PBEEE post-doctoral fellow (2013-2014) and then as an NSERC Banting post-doctoral fellow. Daria completed her Ph.D. in Industrial Chemistry at the University of Milan. During her Ph.D., she was a visiting scholar at the School of Chemistry of The University of Melbourne. She holds as well a Master's in Industrial Chemistry and Management. Daria is also involved in scientific communication, bibliometrics studies, and ethical publishing. In 2015 she co-authored the book Communicate Science Papers, Presentations, and Posters Effectively (Elsevier) and wrote several papers on the same subject. In her free time she enjoys running, working out, playing electric guitar and trying out food and beverages from all over the world. |
Daria Camilla Boffito is an associate professor at the Chemical Engineering Department of Polytechnique Montreal and she is chairholder (Tier II) in Intensified Mechano-chemical Processes for Sustainable Biomass Conversion.
POST-DOCS
| Christopher Panaritis |
 Christopher obtained his B.Eng. in Bioresource Engineering from McGill University. His final year project consisted of developing an in-situ composting system, while also interning for a waste management and wastewater treatment company. He received his Ph.D. (MASc fast track) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Ottawa under the supervision of Prof. Baranova. His doctoral research consisted of developing heterogeneous electro-catalysts for the reverse water gas shift reaction and evaluating their performance through experiment and theoretical (DFT) studies. He now joined the EPIC research team of Prof. Boffito as a post-doctoral fellow to develop a catalytic reactor to generate a sustainable fuel source following a process intensification approach. His interests include clean technology and sustainability. |
Deepak Chauhan |
 Deepak completed his MSc-PhD dual degree in biomedical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India under the supervision of Prof. Rohit Srivastava. His doctoral work consisted of developing biodegradable photo-thermal agents for the rapid, non-invasive treatment and diagnosis of cancer. After completing his PhD, he worked with the Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP) of the World Bank and the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (India) for the development of engineering colleges in remote areas of India. He is now part of Prof. Banquy and Prof. Boffito’s group as an FRQS and TransMedTech-supported postdoctoral fellow. Deepak’s role is to investigate the safety and efficacy of biodegradable photothermal agents for the treatment and diagnosis of Glioblastoma Multiforme. |
Cristina Rodríguez Seco |
 Cristina obtained her Ph.D in Technologies of Nanosystems, Bioengineering and Energy at the Institut Catala D'Investigació Quimica and University Rovira i Virgili (ICIQ-URV) under the supervision of Prof. Emilio Palomares. Her work mainly focused on the synthesis of low-molecular weight organic semiconductors for third generation solar cells. This included the synthesis and characterization of hole transporting materials for perovskite solar cells and electron donors for bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells. She also participated in projects related to dye-sensitized solar cells, including the fabrication and characterization of the final device. In 2021, she started a Banting Postdoctoral fellowship in Prof. Dongling Ma's group at the Institute National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) in Varennes (Québec), to work on the synthesis of nanomaterials for photocatalytic applications, such as hydrogen production and CO2 reduction. Recently, she joined Prof. Daria Boffito's group as a postdoctoral fellow, to work on the scale up of the synthesis of bio-dispersants from biomass's ligneous waste using ultrasound technologies.
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Ali Zaker |
 Ali obtained his Ph.D. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Concordia University (Canada), where his research focused on converting various types of waste into valuable products. His doctoral work included studies on microwave-assisted pyrolysis, co-pyrolysis, and catalytic pyrolysis. He also investigated the use of carbon-based materials for oil spill remediation and carbon capture. After graduation, he worked on a project aimed at optimizing and scaling up the solvent-free mechanoenzymatic depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in Prof. Karine Auclair’s lab at McGill University (Canada). He later joined the EPIC team as a Postdoctoral Researcher to contribute to a transformative approach in the utilization of forestry waste to high-value, eco-friendly bio-dispersants through ultrasound-assisted technology. His interests include waste valorization, environmental remediation, and sustainable process development. |
Benedetta Di Erasmo |
 Benedetta obtained her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Perugia (Italy) in January 2025, where she was part of the Green S.O.C. research group. During her doctoral studies, she spent one year as a visiting researcher at McGill University (Canada) in the labs of Prof. Chao-Jun Li. Her research experience centers on sustainable organic chemistry, with a particular focus on the development of new catalytic methodologies, flow chemistry, and microwave-assisted synthesis. She joined the EPIC research group as a Postdoctoral Fellow to work on boosting RNA-based product yields and scalability using novel intensified manufacturing methods. Her interests include green chemistry, process intensification, and inclusive scientific collaboration.
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Arife Uzundurukan |
 Arife Uzundurukan is an engineer, holding a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (ranked 1st) and Energy Systems Engineering (ranked 3rd) as a double major from Atilim University in 2016. During her final year, she worked as an undergraduate student assistant, focusing on hydrogen generation and reaction kinetics. She earned her M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Gazi University in 2019, where she conducted research on PEM fuel cell (PEMFC) compression efficiency. She simultaenously served as a research assistant for various projects and as a teaching assistant for five courses at Atilim University.In 2024, Arife completed her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sherbrooke, during which she won over 10 national and international awards recognizing her exceptional research contributions, leadership, and parascholar activities. Her work involved developing a digital, multi-tissue-inclusive computed tomography-based finite element model (CT-FEM) and performing acoustic analyses akin to a digital twin of human body parts for biomedical device development and pre-surgical studies. In the same year, Arife joined the EPIC research team of Prof. Boffito as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Chemical Engineering Department at Polytechnique Montréal, where she investigates both numerical and experimental approaches to bone ultrasound. Her collaborative research encompasses national and international projects, leveraging her expertise in biomechanics, acoustics, control systems, hydrogen generation, reaction kinetics, and PEM fuel cells. Outside academia, Arife is passionate about yoga, cooking, and volunteering for children's festive and psychomotor activities. |
| Tugce Eran |
 Tugce Eran obtained her B.Sc. degree in Chemistry from Bikent University in 2012. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Material Science and Nanotechnology, focusing on the synthesis BODIPY compounds and generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), including singlet oxygen, for photodynamic therapy applications. She earned her M.Sc. degree through the Eramus Mundus Master in Chemical Innovation and Regulation (EMMChIR) program, receiving a joint diploma from Heriot-Watt University, the University of Barcelona, the University of Algarve, suppoted by a prestigious Fullbright scholarship. Her research concentrated on addressing environmental pollution through the application of marine bacterial biosurfactants. Tugce completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, where she developed novel attrition-resistant heterogeneous catalysts for high-pressure and high-temperature Fischer-Tropsch processes. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in EPIC team, continuing her work on innovative catalytic solutions. |
PhDs
| Nila Davari |
 Nila received her Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering-Petroleum Industries Process Design at the University of Isfahan (2012) and subsequently, completed her Master's degree in Chemical Engineering-Environment (Ranked 1st Student) at the University of Isfahan in 2016. After her graduation, she has worked as a research assistant and a laboratory assistant at the Environmental Research Institute of the University of Isfahan, Iran for five years. Her previous research was on the degradation of pharmaceuticals Metronidazole and Diphenhydramine from contaminated water via photocatalysis. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal working on the water decontamination by sunlight-driven floating photocatalytic systems, which is a collaborative project between Polytechnique Montréal and the University of Milan. For further information, please visit Nila's Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/nila-davari
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Pierre Dal |
 Pierre received his engineering degree from Grenoble INP-Pagora (skilled in bio-based materials) in France after an internship at Cargill in Germany and an internship in Mechanical Engineering with a project aiming at depolymerizing lignin for fuels applications. He is really interested in biomass conversion, biobased materials, and polymer recycling. For him, teamwork is important since he has been playing rugby for 17 years. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierre-dal-040b621a1/ |
| Azadeh Khoshuie |
 Azadeh received her B.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering-Petrochemical Engineering from the Islamic Azad University in 2012. In 2017, she obtained her Master’s degree in Nanoscience and Technology in Chemical Engineering from Kashan University. During the Master’s, Azadeh worked on thermal insulations on a project entitled “synthesis of hollow silica nanospheres thermal insulation and its performance in different matrices.” Following the Master’s, Azadeh worked at the Khwarizmi Technology Development Company on different projects that involved conceiving green synthetic pathways for metal oxides and recovering precious metals from spent catalysts. She recovered nickel through electrowinning using different spent catalysts (ones from steam reforming and pre-reforming) and prepared a nickel-based cathode from it. On another project, Azadeh extracted molybdenum from a spent hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the form of ammonium heptamolybdate and employed it for the synthesis of a fresh iron molybdate catalyst. Azadeh will begin her PhD at Polytechnique Montreal in winter 2022 in Materials Engineering with the focus being the extraction and separation of critical minerals by the intensification of solvent extraction (SX), ion exchange (IX), and molecular recognition technology (MRT). |
Deborah Braide |
 Deborah obtained her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana (2015). As a British Chevening Scholar, her master’s was in Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom (2018). Deborah’s bachelor’s thesis was on biofuel production from municipal solid waste and her master’s was on the technoeconomic assessment of large-scale renewable energy grid integration. She joined the EPIC group for her PhD. It focuses on Power-to-Liquids (PtL) for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Deborah works alongside the SAF+ consortium. Her research interests are sustainable energy in developing economies, electrification planning, energy policy and economics, catalysis, PtL, Gas-to- Liquids, and hydrogen. She also enjoys travelling, volunteering, and poetry. |
Eslam Ibrahim |
 Eslam Ibrahim is a chemical engineering graduate (2013) from the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University in Egypt. He also completed his MSc studies at the same institution in 2016. Since he was an undergraduate student he had strong concerns about environmental and energy problems. This was his driving force for pursuing graduate studies - to find feasible solutions to problems that threaten the environment. As a result, his focused research topics are catalysis, kinetic modelling, adsorption and their applications in renewable energy and environmental engineering. He worked with Prof. Boffito on the development of a bio-based bi-functional catalyst derived from waste corn cobs to produce biodiesel from waste oil. This study is an application of a combined approach of waste management/valorization and biofuels production. He is currently pursuing his PhD in the Department of Mathematical and Industrial Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal under the supervision of Prof. Hanane Dagdougui, Prof. Ahmed Ragab and Prof. Daria C. Boffito. The topic of his PhD relates to the application of machine learning in the optimization of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) systems. This work is done in collaboration with CanmetENERGY, Varennes. This research will help accelerate the adoption of CCU systems and will mark a step forward in global warming mitigation. |
Justine Saber |
 Justine Saber is a Ph.D. student at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Pharmacy. She is supervised by Professor Xavier Banquy and co-supervised by Professor Boffito. Her research interests relate to nanomedicine. Justine studied at Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Paris (France). She obtained her bachelor’s in physical chemistry in 2018 and her master’s degree in therapy and technology for life sciences in 2020. During her bachelor studies, she worked on the synthesis of gold nanoparticles and the effect of the protein corona on photo-thermal therapy. During her master’s she worked on a gold nanoparticle-based biosensor with an innovative technique (scattering correlation spectroscopy). She has also worked in the pharmaceutical industry (Guerbet) to develop a new contrast agent for MRI. Justine was awarded a TransMedTech doctoral scholarship, a PrEEmiumM Ph.D. fellowship, and a recruitment scholarship from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal. For further information, please visit Justine's Linkedin (linkedin.com/in/justine-saber-4bb152180). Link to PrEEmiuM program: http://www.preemium.ca/en/ |
Nahid Hassanpour |
 Nahid received her bachelor’s degree (Ranked 1st) and master's degree (Ranked 2nd ) in condensed matter physics at Shahid Beheshti University, Iran (2015). She then studied her first year of a master's in biophysics at Aix-Marseille University, France and received a “A*MIDEX scholarship for excellent student.” During her internship, Nahid studied the dynamics of red blood cells in bio-mimetic splenic slits at the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINaM). Afterwards, she did her second year of the master's degree in microfluidics at the Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (IPGG), Sorbonne University, France (2020). For her internship, Nahid worked on the development of 3D scaffold in-vitro gut-on-chip at the Institut Curie and IPGG. She is now a PhD student at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Pharmacy and is supervised by Professor Xavier Banquy and Professor Daria Boffito. Her research interest is to evaluate ultrasound as a non-invasive method to control nanomedicine/nanoparticle distribution. Nahid’s major honours and awards include the Trans MedTech Doctoral Award, a PrEEmiuM Research Fellowship, a recruitment scholarship (Faculty of Pharmacy, Universite de Montreal), and a tuition fee exemption scholarship. For further information, please visit my LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nahid-hassanpour/). Link to PrEEmiuM program: http://www.preemium.ca/en/ |
| Jonathan Buiel |
 Jonathan is an M.D./Ph.D. student at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Pharmacy, and he is jointly supervised by Professor Xavier Banquy (principal) and Professor Daria Boffito (co). His research interest concerns selective-organ-targeting polymeric nanoparticle formulations. Jonathan received his HBSc in biomedical sciences (summa cum laude) from the University of Ottawa in 2021. Jonathan's major honors and awards include the Cayman Biomedical Research Institute Undergraduate research grant, the PrEEmiuM Research Fellowship, and the Recruitment Scholarship (GRUM, Université de Montreal). For more information, please visit Jonathan's Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-buiel-90b3a51b8). Link to PrEEmiuM program: http://www.preemium.ca/en/.
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Paula Andrea Rivera Quintero |
 Paula obtained her B.Sc and Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 2018 and 2021, respectively, from Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS) in Colombia. During her studies, she worked as a teaching assistant and research assistant at the UIS. Her previous work focused on the formulation of emulsions stabilized with functionalized nanoparticles for enhanced oil recovery. In addition, she studied the synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles for the synthesis of catalysts for methane combustion applications. She is currently a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal in the conversion of whey from dairy industry waste to lactic acid in a fluidized bed reactor. Her interests are biomass conversion, catalysis, nanotechnology, and materials characterization. In her spare time, Paula enjoys baking and taking Zumba classes. |
| Symphorien Notue |
 Symphorien holds a B.Eng. and a master’s degree (2016) in Process Engineering from Polytechnique of Montréal. He has joined Professor Boffito's EPIC team as a PhD student in chemical process engineering. He is working on sustainable biolubricant synthesis while employing process intensification technologies (sonochemistry, mechanochemistry). He has previous experience in drinking water production, municipal wastewater treatment, biomethanization and composting as well as the shaping of materials (polymers and metals). His hobbies include soccer, exercising, and reading. |
Barida Joseph Nafo |
 Barida received his bachelor’s degree in oil and gas engineering in 2019 from Kazan National Research Technological University as a federal scholar under the Nigeria-Russia Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA 2014-2019). During this period, he researched surfactants and polymers for use in EOR applications to treat oil wells. He received his first Master’s degree in Biotechnical systems and technology from Kazan Federal University in 2021. He is currently a final-year master's student, as a federal scholar under the "Open Doors" Russian Scholarship Project (2021-2023), in the chemical engineering fuel and gas program at the National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University. His research is on the expansion of the feedstock base for the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process by means of blending heavy petroleum fractions to meet fuel and petrochemical demands, as well as optimizing feedstocks to produce cleaner fuels. Barida will start a PhD program in Chemical Engineering in the fall of 2023 at Polytechnique Montréal. In the EPIC team, he will work on Power-to-Liquids (PtL) technology to catalytically convert CO2 into value-added products through the integration of an innovative catalytic membrane reactor. Barida is also a co-founder and CTO at AI-Den start-up, where the mission is to build AI programs to communicate emotions in ways chatbots alone cannot aid banking & finance, manufacturing, and other engineering processes. His research interests include chemical processes of fuel and gas production, heavy oil and oil fractions, energy demand, CCU, PtL, GtL, catalysis, biocompatible materials for capsule endoscopes, and applications of Artificial-intelligence (AI) in cognitive psychology and engineering. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess, participating in track and field events, and learning new languages. For further information, please visit Barida's LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/barida-joseph-nafo-31963a12b/). |
| Maoline Houndedoke |
 Maoline obtained her master’s degree in chemical engineering at Sorbonne University (France). As a Togolese excellence scholar, her thesis was on the catalytic dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether. While completing her graduate studies, she simultaneously worked through a co-op program as a process safety engineer at SANOFI Aventis. After receiving her master’s with honors, Maoline worked as a validation process engineer at Abbvie, then joined the PEng and EPIC laboratory teams as a PhD candidate at Polytechnic Montréal. Her research focuses on the design of novel heterogeneous catalysts for converting biomass into high value-added green products |
MASTERS
| Jean-Marc Awogni |
 Jean-Marc received his bachelor's degree in engineering physics from Polytechnique Montréal. He is currently a master’s student in the Faculty of Pharmacy of Université de Montréal. He is supervised by Professor Xavier Banquy and Professor Daria Boffito. He is designing a microfluidic chip to mimic a post-surgical breast cancer excision. Jean-Marc was awarded the GRUM Recruitment Fellowship and the PrEEmiuM Research Fellowship. For further information, please visit his LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/jean-marc-awogni-216028193). Link to PrEEmiuM program: http://www.preemium.ca/en/. |
| Longzhe Li |
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Longzhe Li earned his BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta. He is currently pursuing a master's degree, working under the supervision of Prof. Daria Boffito and co-supervised by Prof. Gregory Patience. His research focuses on the development of membranes for in-situ water removal applications. His interests are water-permeable membranes, process intensification, and catalysis. Outside of his studies, Longzhe enjoys skating, skiing, and snowboarding.
BACHELORS
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Research Associate
| Houeida Issa Hamoud |
 Houeida obtained her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in chemistry from the Lebanese University in Lebanon. She joined the Laboratory of Chemistry and Physics Multi-scale Approach to Complex Environments (LCPA2MC) at Lorraine University in France, where she received her PhD degree in chemical science. Her research focused on the reactivity of ceria–based catalysts for the catalytic oxidation of azo dyes in Fenton and photo/Fenton reaction. Afterwards, she joined the Catalysis and Spectrochemical Laboratory (LCS) at Normandy University in France as a temporary associate for teaching and research (ATER) and then as a postdoctoral fellow. She has developed efficient metal-modified catalysts (zeolites, photocatalysts) for different catalytic applications including selective catalytic reduction of NOx (SCR-deNOx), CO2 photoreduction, H2 production via HCOOH photodecomposition, and H2 production via catalytic pyrolysis of plastics. She recently joined the EPIC research team of Prof. Boffito as a research associate to investigate the ultrasonic-assisted selective extraction of heavy metals from steel slag and Incinerated Municipal Solid Waste. Her interests include synthesis/modification of nanomaterials, catalysis and environmental applications. For further information, please visit Houeida's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/houeida-issa-hamoud-a530a680/ .as |
VISITING
INTERNS
| Laura Lavigne |
 Laura is a Chemical Engineering student at ENSIACET (Toulouse, France). As part of her academic training, she is currently completing an internship at Polytechnique Montréal within the EPIC research group. Her research focuses on optimizing ultrasound-assisted membrane deposition for carbon dioxide conversion. Her interests include sustainable chemical processes and environmental technologies.
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| Wilhem Cherifi |
 Wilhem is a second-year engineering student at ENSIACET – Toulouse INP, majoring in Process Engineering. As part of his internship at Polytechnique Montréal, he is working within the EPIC research group on the development and optimization of solid-phase extraction processes for rare earth element recovery. His interests include separation technologies and sustainable resource management.
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| Miggel Garton |
 Miggel is a second-year undergraduate student in Biomedical Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. He is currently completing an internship within the EPIC research group, where he is working on the development of a digital twin for ultrasound propagation and focalization to support innovative orthopedic treatments. His interests include biomedical technologies and computational modeling.
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| Lorenzo Sanchez |
 Lorenzo is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Process Engineering at ENSIACET (INP Toulouse, France). As part of his internship at Polytechnique Montréal, he is working within the EPIC research group on the production of biolubricants from biodiesel through transesterification processes. His work focuses on studying reaction conditions, optimizing process parameters, and contributing to the development of more sustainable alternatives to conventional lubricants. His interests include green chemistry and sustainable process engineering.
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| Marilou Ghyselen |
 Marilou is a second-year Process Engineering student at INP ENSIACET (Toulouse, France). She is currently completing a summer internship at Polytechnique Montréal within the EPIC research group. Her research focuses on characterizing the rheological and thermo-physical properties of synthetic mucus for airway-clearance device design, as well as mapping the viscoelastic and elastic mechanics of intact porcine bone marrow using oscillatory rheometry, micro-indentation, and cavitation rheology. Her interests include biomedical applications of process engineering and material characterization.
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| Sadaf Yasmeen |
 Sadaf is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy), where her research focuses on wastewater treatment using nanocomposites to enhance the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, including herbicides and dyes, under UV and sunlight. She received her Master’s degree in Physics from the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (Pakistan) in 2019. During her internship at Polytechnique Montréal, she is working within the EPIC research group on the fabrication and characterization of novel ternary metal oxide nanocomposites for the photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants. Her interests include environmental nanotechnology and advanced materials for water treatment.
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ALUMNI
ReSEARCH ASSOCIATES
Najoua Bader |
 Dr. Najoua Bader graduated with an integrated Masters in Chemical Process Engineering from the University of Gabes (Tunisia) in 2011. In 2016, she defended her PhD focused on sustainable carbon adsorbents design for hydrogen storage. She had been working for more than seven years in the synthesis and characterization of bio-adsorbents for liquid and gas treatments. This allowed her to gain a broad understanding of the synthesis and processing of activated carbons, physical and chemical activation of lignocellulosic materials, and adsorption processes. She is an expert in the structural characterization of porous carbon materials (TEM, SEM, XRD, FTIR, ICP), as well as gas sorption measurements using volumetric and gravimetric devices. She took up three PhD internships at: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Germany), Hydrogen Research Institute (UQTR, Canada), and University of Alicante (Spain). In 2017, she accepted a Process Engineering Position in the Tunisian Chemical Group (www.gct.com.tn). She spent the first eight months as a phosphoric acid plant manager. She was then promoted to project engineer to support the development and implementation of capital projects. In parallel, she worked as a research associate (industrial member) in the same lab she completed her PhD working on establishing industry-academia collaborations. After five years in the fertilizer industry, she come back to academia but to coordinate an industry-academia research project dealing with critical metal extraction process intensification. |
| Annelise Jean-Fulcrand |
 Annelise received her BSc in Chemistry with a focus on materials and a MSc in Energy from Heriot-Watt University (UK) in 2009 and 2010, respectively. She then spent four years in industry, focusing on polymer science for applications such as repellent nano-coatings and batteries. In 2014, she began working in polymer Tribology at Imperial College London (UK) and completed her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2019. From 2019 to 2022, she joined Prof. Georg Granweitner's team as a research associate at Technische Universität Branschweig (Gremany), where she led the materials-for-batteries group. In 2023, she joined the LIPEC group as a postdoctoral researcher at Ecole de Technologie Superieure (Canada), working with Prof. Martine Dubé and Prof. Ilyass Tabiai on long-term degradation of high-performance thermoplastic composites. In 2024, she joined the EPIC research team, led by Prof. Boffito, as a research associate, where she serves as a team leader. She is a passionate materials scientist specializing in polymer synthesis, material characterization, and electrochemistry. |
POSTDOCS
| Marta Stucchi |
 Marta is a postdoc researcher at the Chemistry department of the University of Milan. Her current interests lie in the field of catalysis, metal nanoparticle synthesis and characterization, catalytic oxidation, and hydrogenation reactions in the liquid phase for biomass valorization. But she has gained experience also in the field of photocatalysis, working with TiO2-based materials for environmental applications. She studied in deep degradation of toxic molecules in water. She gained experience in catalysts synthesis by different methods, such as sol-immobilization, deposition/precipitation, and ultrasound-assisted synthesis, with the aim to correlate their Physico-chemical properties with their catalytic performance. She completed her Ph.D. in Industrial Chemistry at the University of Milan, carrying part of her project at the National Technical University of Athens. After that, she worked as a postdoc researcher in the group of Prof. Boffito at Polytechnique Montreal for 1-year working on drugs removal from wastewater and getting remarkable results. She published 26 articles in international peer-reviewed scientific journals and 3 book chapters. Her current H-index is 10 with 284 citations. |
Federico Galli |
 Fede completed his Ph.D. in Industrial Chemistry with Prof. Carlo Pirola at the University of Milan, Italy (2015), where his research focused on the development and modeling of a continuous reactor for oil deacidification and transesterification to biodiesel. He then worked as an R&D scientist at SICAD where he developed new adhesives formulation and developed rheological methods for the QC department. Now he is working on building, testing, commissioning, and starting_up a pilot unit to convert natural gas into fuel. Besides working, his interests include cooing, and gym (weight training). |
| Mohammad Pousti |
 Mohammad completed his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry with Prof. Jesse Greener at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada in Oct 2019. His research focused on the development, modeling, and fabrication of a 1D-infrared imaging system coupled with optical microscopy to study microbial biofilms inside microfluidic channels. He officially started working in March 2020 as a MITACS Elevate post-doctoral fellow in our group in collaboration with Impact Global Solutions (IGS), a Montreal-based company focused on R&D and developing solutions for the metallurgical sector. His research focuses on green chemistry techniques to separate REEs and other metals extracted from ore tailing. He enjoys running and playing soccer. |
| Ali Khazraei |
 Ali finished his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology (Iran), then completed his Ph.D. in Environmental with Prof. Fariborz Haghighat at Concordia University (Montreal), where his research focused on the design, development, and modeling of gaseous contaminants adsorption on activated carbon filters at very low concentration levels. He then received his MBA from John Molson Schools of Business, Montreal where he could develop his business and management knowledge and work for multinational corporations like Reyes Holdings and Pratt & Whitney Canada as a process quality and data analyst. Here is his Linking account: www.linkedin.com/in/alikhazraei |
Zhenni Ma |
 Zhenni completed her Post-doc and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering with Prof. Gregory S. Patience and Prod. Daria C. Boffito at Polytechnique Montreal (2019). Her research focused on the gas to liquid process: The transformation of waste associated natural gas to syngas, followed by the synthesis of high value engineering oil through Fischer-Tropsch. She prepared selective catalytic systems made of Pt-FeCralloy working at high temperature and pressure. She then worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Boffito's group tp on the techno-economic analysis of formic acid to different products. Her other research area focused on process design and simulation. She enjoys reading and listening to music |
| Luc Charbonneau |
 Luc Charbonneau is currently a doctoral student at the University of Helsinki. His research focuses on both the conversion of CO2 and biomass. Prior to assuming his current position, Dr. Charbonneau obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). After his studies, he was a Research Associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal. Subsequently, he obtained a master's degree in inorganic analytic chemistry and radiochemistry at Laval University. He also obtained a doctorate in engineering at Laval University, under the supervision of Pr Serge Kaliaguine. His research focused on the epoxidation of limonene and other terpenes as new bio-based monomers. He returned briefly to Polytechnique Montreal and managed various biomass conversion projects in Pr Boffito Laboratory. He also contributed to the development of Pr Chaouki's inorganic analysis laboratory. Outside chemistry, Luc is a ferocious classical music lover. |
Insa Seck |
 Insa obtained his BSin physical chemistry in 2007 at the Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal). In 2011 he received his MS degree in Chemistry in Biochemistry of natural products from Cheikh Anta Diop University. He received his Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry in 2015. His thesis was on the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds and their application in bacterial infections. He was a visiting doctoral student in Yagamare's group research at the University of Vigo (Spain) from September 3014 to March 2015. In 2016, he joined the department of chemistry at the faculty of Science and Technics at Cheikh Anta Diop University as an Assistant Professor. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at the faculty of chemistry and Engineering at Babes Balyai University (Romania) and in 2018-2019 in the EPIC's team at Polytechnique of Montreal (Canada). He was supported by the Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program (CFSP). His current research focuses on the synthesis and isolation of bioactive compounds to treat bacterial infections and cancer. He is also working on biolubricants synthesis using heterogeneous catalysis. https://www.linkedin.com/in/insa-seck-756087156/ |
Hayat Khan |
 Hayat is an Assistant Professor at the University of Science and Technology Peshawar. He was a post-doc at Polytechnique Montreal in 2016-2018, when he was supported by a FRQT post-doctoral fellowship. Before that, he was a research assistant at McGill, where he also did his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering under the supervision of Prof.D.Berk. Hayat is an expert in catalysis, specifically photocatalysis and catalyst characterization. |
| Marouen JOUINI |
 Marouen holds an engineering degree in industrial chemistry, specialized in processes and environment, from the National Institute of Applied Science and Technology (INSAT), Tunisia. His final year project consisted of developing a decision support system for petrochemical reactors and oil distillation columns to facilitate their control, monitoring, and ensuring their best performance. The developed system includes the determination of key performance indicators, the assessment of complex events as well as their detections, and finally, to apply the root cause analysis method for risk assessment and mitigation. He completed his MSc/Ph.D. in Mineral Engineering at the Research Institute on Mines and Environment (RIME) - at the University of Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) / Polytechnique Montreal, Canada, under the supervision of Prof. Carmen M. Neculita. During his Ph.D., he worked on predicting the environmental behavior of contaminants in acid mine drainage treatment sludge, covering technical, scientific, and management aspects according to .provincial, federal and international regulations. At the same time, his researches focus on the treatment of mine-impacted water, environmental assessment and management of water treatment sludge, the environmental geochemistry behavior of mine waste, the valorization of mine sludge (e.g. phosphate sludge), and the potential recovery of metals (e.g. Co, Ni, REE) from mine waste. He also did a postdoctoral fellowship at the RIME (UQAT/ Polytechnique Montreal) where he worked on the characterization and treatment of emerging contaminants in mine effluents and the assessment of aquatic toxicity. He now joined the EPIC research team of Prof. Boffito as a post-doctoral fellow in the extraction and refining of rare earth and critical metals. For further information, please visit Marouen's Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/marouen-jouini-18824359/ and ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marouen_Jouini. |
Ergys Phija |
 Ergys completed his BSc and MSc in Chemical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (Italy). He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Biomolecular Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong, China) under the supervision of Prof. David Hui. His doctoral work consisted of modeling and optimization of microalgae cultivation systems in dynamic environmental conditions. He then moved to the Technical University of Denmark as a postdoctoral researcher where he was project manager of EU-funded project Modlife, and he worked on monitoring of lactic acid bacteria. He now joined Prof. Boffito's group as a postdoctoral fellow to investigate the design of catalysts for the production of sustainable fuel by combining experimental tests and density functional theory (DFT). In his free time, he enjoys photography and traveling. |
Aya Saidi |
 Aya obtained her engineering degree in industrial chemistry from the National Institute of Applied Science and Technology (INSAT) in Tunisia. Her final project consisted of studying and optimizing the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction by water splitting using a nickel-iron layered double hydroxide catalyst. Afterwards, she joined the catalysis centre at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, where she received her MSc and PhD degrees in chemical science. Her PhD research focused on synthesizing and characterizing well-defined single-site catalysts via surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC). She has developed efficient tungsten, molybdenum, zirconium, and titanium-based catalysts containing alkylated ligands. Aya proceeded to test their catalytic performances in different applications such as: metathesis of hydrocarbons, hydrogenolysis of alkanes, CO2 reduction, and polymerization reactions. She has since joined the EPIC research team of Prof. Boffito as a post-doctoral fellow to investigate the microwave and ultrasonic extraction and precipitation of heavy metals from steel slag. Her interests include catalysis, waste valorization, and sustainability. For further information, please visit Aya's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aya-saidi-0b0062114. |
Rebecaa El Khawaja |
 Rebecca obtained her M.Sc. in physical chemistry of materials from the Lebanese University. She worked with the Rennes School of Chemistry (ENSCR, France) on her final project on the study of hydrogenation of aromatic compounds in the presence of ordered mesoporous catalysts using alumina precursors and organic surfactants. Different approaches for impregnation of rhodium have been investigated and compared in terms of kinetics and efficiencies in model arene hydrogenation under various hydrogen pressures. Rebecca began her Ph.D. at the University of the Littoral Opal Coast (Dunkirk, France), where she worked on the development of hybrid systems based on adsorption/catalysis coupling for the catalytic oxidation of oxygenated and cyclic volatile organic compounds from industrial sources. She synthesized and studied the physicochemical properties of transition metal-based and noble metal-based materials. Her research also focused on the hierarchical development of microporous zeolites via post-synthesis treatments. After her thesis defense she worked as a teaching and research assistant and developed new aspects of her Ph.D. research. Rebecca also worked on the synthesis of new materials via the hydrotalcite route using organic and inorganic anions. She recently joined Professor Boffito’s group as a postdoctoral fellow to selectively extract metals from incinerated municipal solid wastes using intensified technologies (microwave and ultrasound-assisted extraction and precipitation). For more information, please visit Rebecca’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-khawaja-1102f/ |
Igor Cherubin |
 Igor Cherubin obtained his B.Eng in Materials Engineering from Universidade Federal de Pelotas (Brazil). During his B.Eng, he worked in different fields of material science. His work focused on synthesizing nanomaterials through different methods (sol-gel, co-precipitation, polymeric precursor) and developing bio-degradable composites and oxide mixtures via mechanochemistry. His final year project was developing a ceramic alloy of AlNbO4 using high-energy milling. He got a Ph.D. (directly from B.Eng) in Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Queen's University, supervised by Prof. Mark Daymond. He worked on nuclear materials, the characterization of ZrHx, studying mechanical properties (micropillars compression, nanoindentation, mathematical models from pile-up) and microstructure (TEM, SEM/EBSD, synchrotron X-ray, XRD). After completing his Ph.D., he joined the EPIC research group as a post-doctoral researcher to work on the development and implementation of a new mechanochemical process. For more information, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorcherubin/ |
| Sasan Fazli |
 Sasan earned his bachelor’s degree in applied chemistry from Sharif University of Technology and completed his MSc in Analytical Chemistry at TMU. With an extensive industry background, he served as the Head of Central Labs at the Railway industry, progressing to become a research associate and later the CEO of the Pesticides/Fertilizers Research Center in ministry of Agriculture. Alongside his leadership roles, he ventured into academia, taking positions such as adjunct professor and chemistry instructor at the University of Science and Culture. |
| Mojtaba Malayeri |
 Mojtaba obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering-Process Design from Isfahan University. During his M.Sc., he focused on using exergy analysis to simulate and optimize energy in methanol-to-propylene processes. After finishing his M.Sc., he worked as a process engineer for two years in the petrochemical industry (Jam Polypropylene Plant, Assaluyeh, Iran). He completed his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at Concordia University, supervised by Prof. Fariborz Haghighat. His Ph.D. research was devoted to the modeling of volatile organic compounds' by-product generation in a photocatalytic oxidation reactor. After completing his Ph.D., he continued his research as a horizon postdoctoral fellow to work on the modeling and optimization of photocatalytic reactors with machine learning. He recently joined Prof. Boffito’s group as a postdoctoral fellow to work on the techno-economic analysis of commercial CO2 to potassium format electrolytic stack and process. His research interests include simulation and mathematical modeling of chemical processes, kinetics of reactions, CFD simulation, and air purification technologies. |
PHDS
| Zhenni Ma |
| Zhenni completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering with Prof. Gregory S. Patience and Prod. Daria C. Boffito at Polytechnique Montreal (2019). Her research focused on the gas to liquid process: The transformation of waste associated natural gas to syngas, followed by the synthesis of high value engineering oil through Fischer-Tropsch. She prepared selective catalytic systems made of Pt-FeCralloy working at high temperature and pressure. She then worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Boffito's group tp on the techno-economic analysis of formic acid to different products. Her other research area focused on process design and simulation. She enjoys reading and listening to music |
Mahmoud Yosry Zorainy |
 Mahmoud completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering with Prof. Daria C. Boffito at Polytechnique Montreal (2022). His research project focuses on the synthesis and modification of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for different applications. He is holding a Bs (2011) and MSc degrees (2017) in Chemical Engineering from the Military Technical College (M.T.C) in Cairo, Egypt. He was ranked first among all chemical engineering bachelor students and was selected to work as a teaching assistant and researcher (2013) then as an associate lecturer (2017). He is a recipient of the Egyptian Young Researchers’ scholarship (2018). His main research interest is developing hybrid materials, in which he defended his Master’s on silica-epoxy hybrids. |
| Hela Laajimi |
 Hela received her engineer’s degree in industrial chemistry from the National Institute of Applied Science and Technology (INSAT) in Tunisia. Her final study project was about quantification and valorization of greenhouse gas emitted from an oil field in the center of Tunisia. She holds a Master’s degree in Process Engineering and Environment from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Ingénieurs en Arts Chimiques et Technologiques (INP-ENSIACET) in Toulouse, France. She did her Master’s project in Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI) that dealt with a method for water treatment by catalytic ozonation to eliminate persistent organic micropollutants in water. Her Ph.D. thesis was on the design and development of a process based on ultrasound to synthesize lubricants from vegetable oils. |
| Marcela Frias Ordonez |
 Marcela graduated from chemical engineering in 2012 at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. It was a double-major degree, and in 2013, she got her diploma in chemistry. She worked on the synthesis of metal nanoparticles via the polyol method. In 2018, she started her master's degree in industrial chemistry at the Università degli Studi di Milano (Italy). Her project focused on new photocatalysts with high thermal stability for abatement of air pollutants. She is currently a PhD candidate in industrial chemistry at the Università degli Studi di Milano, where she is furthering the research she pursued during her master's degree. |
 Kobra Fattahi |
 Kobra received her bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering at the Isfahan University of Technology(2014) and her master's degree at Iran University of Science and Technology(2017). After finishing her studies, she started working as an R&D engineer at Ciba Polymer Company in Tehran, Iran for 2 years. Her previous research was on the simulation of acoustic cavitation and acoustic streaming. She is currently a Ph.D. student in chemical engineering at Polytechnique Montreal working on the experimental and numerical investigation of dynamics of the cavitation bubbles induced by lasers and ultrasound. she enjoys rollerblading, ice skating, and taking care of animals. For further information, please visit Kobra's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kobra-fattahi-719555104/ |
| Sina Salimi |
 Sina Salimi is a Ph.D. student at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Pharmacy and he is supervised by Professor Xavier Banquy. His research interest concern nanotechnology applications in diagnostic delivery. Sina received his SSc (Ranked 2nd) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Isfahan and subsequently, completed his MSc in Chemical Engineering at the University of Tehran (1st Top GPA) in 2019, the latter after an internship at the Universiti sains Malaysia's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Sina's major honors and awards include the TransMedTech Doctoral Award, PrEEmiumM Research Fellowship, Recruitment Scholarship (Faculty of Pharmacy, Universite de Montreal), and Tuition Fee Exemption scholarship (bourse d'exemption). For further information, please visit Sina's Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinasalimi/). Link to PrEEmiuM program: http://www.preemium.ca/en/ |
| Dario Job |
 Dario received his M. Eng degree in Materials Engineering from École des Mines de Nancy in France in 2022. Afterwards, he obtained a M.Sc in Biomedical Engineering from Polytechnique Montréal in 2023. He acquired multidisciplinary knowledge through internships in materials engineering as well as the research he conducted during his second master's degree. The latter focused on issues related to wound healing. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Géraldine Merle and co-supervision of Prof. Daria C. Boffito. His research focuses on orthopedic engineering. For further information, please visit his LinkedIn profile: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/job-dario?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app). |
| Nicolas Patiance |
 Nicolas received his B. Eng. in Bioresource Engineering (2019) from McGill University. His previous work involves ultrasound assisted biolubricant synthesis and pectin extraction. He is currently a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Polytechnic Montreal in PrEEmiuM. His research interests span the biomedical field. His past-times are exercise, board games, and reading. |
| Dalma Schieppati |
 Dalma studied at Università Degli Studi di Milano(Italy). she obtained her BSc and MSc in Industrial Chemistry in 2016 and 2018, respectively. During her BSc studies, she worked on the synthesis of biolubricants from sunflower oil, whereas her MSc's project focused on the optimization of the ultrasound-assisted photodegradation of organic pollutants (herbicides and dyes) in wastewaters. After graduation, she joined the EPIC team as Research Associate. In 2020, She began a Ph.D. program in Materials Engineering and she is working on the intensification of the depolymerization process of lignin and its conversion to biolubricants and biodispersants under ultrasound irradiation. She was awaeded the graduate scholarship "Trottier" in 2020 to pursue her doctoral research. In 2021, she was awarded the scholarship " Prestige-Etats Unis" to conduct a research internship at the Lawerence Berkeley National Laboratory (California, USA) under supervision of Blake Simmons. In 2022, Dalma was awarded the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.Her interests include waste recycling and environmental remediation. |
MASTERS
| Mina Khani |
 Zahra Khani received her B.Sc (2013) and M.Sc (2015) degree in chemical engineering from Kashan University and Isfahan University of Technology, Iran. She joined the EPIC group in Sep. 2017. Her master project focused on the synthesis of the catalyst by an ultrasound-assisted sol-gel process. She worked on improving the process, optimizing parameters, and improving the treatment of water contaminated by means of the AOPs method. |
Ndifreke (Endy) Usen |
 Endy received her BSc. In Biochemistry from California State University(2013). Subsequently, she worked for five years as a researcher on the synthesis of catalysts for the conversion of methane to ethylene at Siluria Technologies, CA. She started her master's in chemical engineering at Polytechnique Montreal in 2018 in chemical engineering at Polytechnique Montreal in 2020. Her research interests were functional nanomaterials and targeted drug delivery. She enjoys travelling, cooking, and sports. |
| Brent Lashuk |
 Brent received a B.Sc. degree in Environmental Chemistry from the University of British Columbia. He graduated as an MEng student in Chemical Engineering with joint supervision between the 3C's Laboratory (Prof. Yargeau, McGill University) and the EPIC group (Prof. Boffito, Polytechnique Montreal). Brent's research interests include water research and environmental remediation, and his current project involves photocatalytic ozonation for the removal of micropollutants from water. Outside of the lab, he enjoys most things outdoors such as hiking, biking, and fishing. Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/brent-lashuk |
 Mamadi Diope |
 Mamadi received a B.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering from Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungry. He is undergoing a Master's of Applied Science in Biomedical Engineering Specializing in Biophotonics and Biomedical Nanotechnology at the University of Montreal. Mamadi is currently following an internship, investigating the synthesis of gold nanoparticles by means of ultrasound, under the supervision of Prof. Boffito at Polytechnique Montreal. His hobbies include 3D modeling and occasional trips to the cinema. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mamadidiop/ |
| Brian Rutherford Ravazzano |
 Brian received his B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from Polytechnique Montreal in 2020. He is now a Master’s student in Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal in the EPIC group. His research interests are gas-to-liquid processes and catalysis. In his free time, he enjoys exercising, playing soccer, playing guitar, and reading. |
| Valerie Bibeau |
 Valérie received her B. Eng. in Chemical Engineering (2021) from Polytechnique Montréal. Her previous work involves artificial intelligence in industrial mixing. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Chemical Engineering under Professor Blais and Professor Boffito. Her research is about physics-informed neural networks to better predict the kinetics of complex reactions, such as the production of biodiesel. She enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee and reading. |
| Sachin Samarakone |
 Sachin received his B.Eng in Chemical Engineering (2019) from McGill University. He has since worked at a metallurgical lab focusing on Nickel Solvent Extraction Systems and Rare Earth Elements. He is currently a Master’s student in Materials Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal. His research interests revolve around sustainable mining using ultrasound. In his spare time, he enjoys writing, traveling, and has played football (soccer) for a major part of his life.
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| Charles-David Guerette |
 Charles-David obtained his B.Eng. in Biotechnology Engineering from the University of Sherbrooke in 2020. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal in the EPIC group. His research interests include the production of sustainable fuels using a Fischer-Tropsch process. This project allowed him to develop his programming skills with the Python language. Outside of the lab, he enjoys indoor training, video games, and traveling. |
Paul Louyot |
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| Sean Jeffries |
 Sean received a B.Sc. degree in Biomedical Science and a minor in Neuroscience from the University of Guelph. He is currently pursuing an M.Sc. in Experimental Surgery with joint supervision between the MUHC's Laboratory (Prof. Barralet, McGill University) and the EPIC group (Prof. Boffito, Polytechnique Montreal). Sean's research interests include the neurobiology of learning and memory, surgical innovation, and orthopedics. His current project aims t explore the applications of acoustic waves in the prefusion of ischemic tissue. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing live music, economics, and sports such as hockey or rugby. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-jeffries-87bb271b2/ |
| Rémi Germon |
 Rémi completed a chemical engineer's degree at ENSIC (Nancy, France) and a non-thesis Master's at Polytechnique Montréal at the same time. During his time at Polytechnique Montréal, he joined Daria Boffito's research team to work on a medical device based on soundwaves to treat patients affected by cystic fibrosis. As a result, he co-authored a paper in Respiratory Medicine. He's now back in France, open to new work opportunities. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rémi-germon |
Paul has an engineering diploma from ENSTA Paris Tech with fluid mechanics as a specialization. Paul graduated from Prof. Boffito's team in 2017 with a thesis on ultrasound-assisted bimetallic Fischer-Tropsch catalysts for high temperature, low contact time reactions. He followed his passion in programming and he is now a software engineer for Flatlooker in Paris.| Angela Wong |
 Angela received her B.Eng degree in Bioengineering from McGill university in 2020. She is currently pursuing an M.Sc. in Experimental Surgery with joint supervision between the MUHC's Laboratory (Prof. Barralet, McGill University) and the EPIC group (Prof. Boffito, Polytechnique Montreal). Angela's research interests include medical device innovation and microfluidics. Her research focuses on directing interstitial fluid flow in the dermis using acoustic waves. Angela enjoys painting, yoga, and piano in her free time. |
| Mouflihath Anjorin |
 Mouflihath obtained a degree in Process Engineering from the International Institute of Technology of Sfax in Tunisia (Specialization in Energy). She is passionate about applied research. Indeed she had the opportunity to work at the research center of the IMT Lille-Douai school, in particular for the ECOSED research chair (Circular Economy of Sediments) as a research intern. The work mainly consisted of developing digital image analysis tools for different materials. She is currently enrolled in an industrial Master's degree in Chemical Engineering (opt: energy and sustainable development). She is interested in bioenergy and this is why she is currently pursuing a research internship on the depolymerization of lignin in ionic liquids under the supervision of Prof. Boffito in the EPIC team. She really enjoys programming in Python |
| Hinane Boumghar |
 Hinane received her bachelor's degree in formulation engineering from The institute of technology Bouira in Algeria (2018). She was quickly immersed in a project to operate the Coca-Cola and Heineken's industrial wastewater treatment plant working as a lab and process technician for Veolia Water and Energy, She collaborated with the Belgium GWE company's engineers on the methane reactor's commissioning (anaerobic digestion) until December 2019, and she came back simultaneously to the university to accomplish a one-year master's in chemical engineering at Algiers university. She started her Master's in biomedical engineering at Polytechnique Montreal in 2021. Her research interests revolve around biomedical nanotechnology. She's has been a handball player for 12 years, making her know the value of hard work to win and rest to resist. |
Thomas Ponnet |
 Thomas obtained his B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from the Catholic University of Leuven in 2022. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in energy systems at Polytechnique Montreal in the EPIC group. His current research interests include water treatment by use of photo-electrocatalysis. Outside of the lab, he enjoys skiing, traveling, and poutine. |
BACHELORS
Keita Tannella |
 Keita is in the third year of her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. She is currently discovering research in her internship within the EPIC group and is working on the esterification of cellulose. Her personal interests are energy and sustainable development. |
INTERNS
| Scott Books |
 Scott is currently finishing up his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. He worked as a research intern at Polytechnique Montreal in the summer of 2018, where he did research on advanced oxidation processes for water treatment. His hobbies include musical theater, learning languages, playing music, and food, the latter of which he hopes to work with during his career. |
| Michela Mattia |
 Michela received her master's degree in Industrial Chemistry (2019) from the University of Milan (Italy). She has worked as an intern in the Chemical Engineering Department of Polytechnique Montreal. Her research study focused on the ultrasonic process intensification for biolubricant production and detecting ultrasonically-generated alcohol radicals with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). She is currently attending an advanced training course in the Critical Process Equipment Expert at Belleli Energy CPE (Italy). She enjoys traveling and cooking. |
| Carolina Peverelli |
 Carolina Peverelli is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Chemistry at Universita Statale Milano and is preparing to access the Master's Degree. She has already presented her Bachelor's thesis on Photo Catalytic processes for Water Purification. She's interested in sustainable technologies for chemical processes. Carolina plays basketball and likes touring on her road bicycle. |
| Alexi Dreux |
 Alexi is a Master's student specialized in renewable energy from Ecole Polytechnique (Paris, France) currently pursuing his end-of-study internship at the CEA (Atomic and alternative energies commission) in Paris. He is working on the development of a nanostructured polymer for water oxidation under visible light. He has been accepted for a Ph.D. position at the CEA starting in January 2021, focused on artificial photosynthesis for CO2 reduction and valorisation. He has been part of the EPIC'S team in 2019 at Polytechnique Montreal for an internship where he contributed to the development of a Kraft lignin valorisation process which resulted in the filing of a patent. His personal interests include subjects related to sustainable development and the energy sector. He also practices hand-ball and running. |
Reginald Chaudry |
 Reginald obtained a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Montreal in 2014. He decided to start his training in chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal in 2017. I intend to specialize in agri-food and pharmaceutical engineering. I have been part of the non-profit organization Engineers Without Borders Canada since 2017 and I have a great interest in sustainable development and fair trade. I enjoy playing basketball. |
| Nicolas Patiance |
 Nicolas received his B. Eng. in Bioresource Engineering (2019) from McGill University. His previous work involves ultrasound assisted biolubricant synthesis and pectin extraction. He is currently a Master's student in Biomedical Engineering at Polytechnic Montreal in PrEEmiuM. His research interests span the biomedical field. His past-times are exercise, board games, and reading. |
| Murielle Wandje |
 Murielle is a student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique of Montreal. Between 2019 and 2020, she worked on the depolarization of lignin in Prof. Boffito's lab as her first internship. She then completed a second internship in the production department of Agropur as a Production Planner. As for hobbies, she loves to make new discoveries, she loves music and enjoys travelling, and dancing. You can follow her on her LinkedIn page https://www.linkedin.com/in/murielle-wandje-02752515b/ |
Halie Mei Jensen |
 Halie Mei is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering at Ryerson University. She worked in Professor Boffito’s lab at Polytechnique Montréal as an intern during the summer of 2021. There, she conducted research on the ring-opening polymerization of polylactic acid from lactide via microwave irradiation. Her areas of interest include biomaterials and tissue engineering. Her hobbies include reading and painting. |
Yanick Essigan |
 Yannick Essigan obtained his degree in process engineering and bioprocesses at the Claude Bernard University in Lyon, France, and in 2018 defended his specialization thesis in Industrial Risk Management and Safety. He is passionate about chemistry and the study of physico-chemical transformation processes. His research interests, among others, are: heavy industry, petrochemicals, pharma-cosmetics, and biotransformation. He has taught his passion in high schools and colleges as a teacher of physics and chemistry. Yannick now works as an independent consultant in process safety and environmental risk and impact management in different industrial sectors. He enjoys experimenting with new culinary recipes, fishing and scuba diving. https://www.linkedin.com/in/yannick-essigan-21b153a9 |
| Jamie Lacie |
 Jamie is currently a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Bath studying for a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering. He is working as an intern at Polytechnique Montreal on the conversion of Lignin to biofuels and fuel additives, mainly looking at the modeling of an ultrasound reactor. His interests are in sustainability and in the research for alternative fuels / energy sources, as well as modeling / simulating chemical processes. He also enjoys playing football and keeping active, as well as traveling and learning new skills. |
| Marc Lalonde-Lavoie |
 Marc is currently a Bachelor's student in Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal. He has undertaken several internships in the team of Prof. Boffito. The projects included the synthesis of photocatalysts and modeling of ultrasound reactors with COMSOL. He enjoys learning about simulation in engineering, catalysis, and the engineering of biological processes. |
Aïcha Jouma Gansonre |
 Aïcha is currently an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal. She discovered research by working on lignin and Fischer Tropsch synthesis with post-doctoral fellows. Her personal interests are mostly sustainable development, reading, and problem-solving in general. Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aicha-gansonre-5b2832181/ |
| Basma Ameziane |
 Basma is currently pursuing a Bachelor in Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal. She worked as a technical assistant in pharmacy, a position that attracted her interest in the pharmaceutical field, and the manufacture of drugs. This position allowed her to ask questions related to the manufacturing method of drugs, and her program in chemical engineering answers her questions more precisely and helps her discover other disciplines such as petrochemicals and industrial operations. In addition to the multidisciplinarity of the program, she adds her socio-cultural commitment, which motivates her learning in view of the daily use of the service of a chemical engineer with regard to the production and the development of the industry. |
| Adama Koné |
| Hector Guarneros |
| Gauthier Bibré |
| Chan Yeoung Jung |
Jamie Lacie |
VISITING
| Dalma Schieppati |
| Dalma studied at Università Degli Studi di Milano(Italy). she obtained her Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Industrial Chemistry in 2016 and 2018, respectively. During her Bachelor studies, she worked on the synthesis of biolubricants from sunflower oil, whereas her Master's project focused on the optimization of the ultrasound-assisted photodegradation of organic pollutants (herbicides and dyes) in wastewaters. After graduation, she joined the EPIC team as Research Associate. Currently, she works on the depolymerization and valorization of lignin. She will start a Ph.D. program in Materials Engineering in September 2020, and she will work on the intensification of the depolymerization process of Kraft lignin by ultrasound and microwaves and its conversion to biolubricants and biodispersants. Her interests include waste recycling and environmental remediation. |
Sorelis Nieto Zambrano |
 Sorelis received her BSc. in chemistry from the University of Cartagena, Colombian North Cost. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Guanajuato (Guanajuato state, México). She is working on composites of nanozero valent iron with ZnAl mixed oxides (the last one coming from ZnAl hydrotalcites) to photodegrade organochlorides. she will finish her Ph.D. in 2020. |
Flavia de Santana Magalhaes |
 Flavia received her B. E. in Food Engineering (2015), and M. E. in Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of Uberlandia (Brazil) (2018). Her prior research was focused on ceramic membrane production, working mainly on its use in the purification of plant extracts. Currently, she is a Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of Uberlandia and a visiting researcher at Polytechnique Montreal. Flavia is a recipient of the Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) doctoral scholarship. |
Interns |
| Jad Mehdi |
 Jad is currently in his third-year of Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. He is fascinated by the intricacies of metalworking processes and is excited to explore the world of metallurgy. Jad is currently immersing himself in research during his internship with the EPIC group, where he will be working on the extraction of heavy metals from waste. |
| Aurélien Bréant |
 Aurélien Bréant is a second year undergraduate student studying Chemical Engineering at McGill University. His interests mostly lie in environmental engineering as well as food and packaging processing plus production. He completed his secondary education in France, and began his first year of university at Polytechnique Montreal before transferring to McGill University.
Aurélien likes listening to music and playing violin. He also enjoys walking, reading and learning Mandarin. |
| Alexandre Warin |
 Alexandre is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying chemical engineering at Polytechnique Montreal. His interests relate to CO2 conversion, catalysis, reactor design and innovative process scaling. In addition to his academic interests, Alexandre is also involved in journalism and scientific vulgarisation, and is currently the editor-in-chief of Le Polyscope, Polytechnique Montreal’s student journal. |
