Head of Laboratory
 | Prof. Tiffany Abitbol Tenure Track Assistant Professor Tiffany Abitbol is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Institute of Materials at EPFL, where she holds the industry-funded Chair on Sustainable Materials co-sponsored by BASF SE, Logitech, Nestlé, and SIG Services AG. Her research group focuses on materials from bio-based sources, such as from fungi, plants, and protein, and their functional assemblies. Tiffany’s research interests are broad, with a particular interest in taking advantage of the inherent self-assembly of nanomaterials and opportunities to direct their assembly into non-native hierarchical structures using the growth-driven mechanisms of living organisms such as fungi. Tiffany is originally from Montreal and has a PhD in Chemistry from McGill University (2011). Before joining EPFL, Tiffany was a senior researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden in Stockholm (2017-2022), where she worked closely with industry under the general umbrella of bioeconomy and health. Tiffany is a long-time fan of cellulose and a rather new enthusiast of fungal materials. tiffany.abitbol(at)epfl.ch +41216930245 |
Administrative Staff
 | Corinne Farquharson Administrative Assistant corinne.farquharson(at)epfl.ch +41216931296 |
 | Shawn Koppenhoefer Systems Administrator & Photographer/Videographer Personal: shawnkoppenhoefer.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/koppenhoefer Instagram: instagram.com/koppenhoefer shawn.koppenhoefer(at)epfl.ch +41216934120 |
PhD Students
 | Buse Tatli Doctoral Assistant Research project: Cellulose nanomaterials Buse received her master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from EPFL following her undergraduate studies at Sabanci University in Turkey. Her work in SML focuses on nanocellulose from different sources and their self-assembly. buse.tatli(at)epfl.ch +41216930391 |
 | Anna Koptelova Doctoral Assistant, co-supervised by Professor Stellacci Research Project: Protein materials for packaging applications Anna received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Fundamental and Applied Chemistry at M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. She worked in the laboratory at MSU and in industry, developing and synthesizing catalysts for the oxidative desulfurization process. Anna currently works on materials derived from waste protein, as part of the ETH Domain Joint Initiative Proteins for a Sustainable Future. anna.koptelova(at)epfl.ch +41216931412 |
 | Matteo Darra Doctoral Assistant Research Project: Mycelium-based composite materials Born in Brazil and raised in Italy, Matteo received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Bologna, respectively in Chemistry and Photochemistry and Molecular Materials. He spent ten months as an intern at Nestlé Institute of Packaging Science of Lausanne and is currently working on mycelium-based materials on a Nestlé-funded PhD. matteo.darra(at)epfl.ch |
 | Inyoung Yonah Lee Doctoral Assistant Research Project: EPS from submerged fungal fermentation Inyoung Yonah received her BSc in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, then her MSc degree in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at EPFL. She is an enthusiast of membrane materials for separation processes and joined the Sustainable Materials Laboratory to work on the synthesis of self-assembled cellulosic membranes and on biofilms from fermentation. Her PhD is funded through an SNSF project called Fungal Factories for Next-Gen Sustainable Packaging Materials. inyoung.lee(at)epfl.ch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inyoung-yonah-lee/ |
 | Yuki Hayashi Doctoral Assistant Research Project: Multilayered mycelium materials Yuki received her master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from EPFL after completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Sheffield in the UK. She spent six months as an R&D intern in Body In White Part at Sika Technology and contributed to the odor improvement of thermally expandable foams and the development of an ammonia measurement method. She is currently working on multi-layered mycelium material in SML. Her PhD is funded through an SNSF project called Fungal Factories for Next-Gen Sustainable Packaging Materials. yuki.hayashi(at)epfl.ch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuki-hayashi-profile |
 | Blanca de Miguel Martínez Doctoral Assistant Research Project: Colloidal particles from mycelium Blanca completed her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at Complutense University of Madrid and her master’s degree in Sustainable BioEnergy at the Technical University of Denmark. She has worked on biomass valorisation and phase change materials for thermal energy storage and biocatalysis. Blanca is currently working on nanomaterials from fungal fermentation. Her PhD is funded through an SNSF project called Fungal Factories for Next-Gen Sustainable Packaging Materials. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/blanca-de-miguel-martínez-267627219 |
Post Docs
 | Chiara Moretti Postdoctoral Researcher Chiara obtained her PhD in Chemistry from the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) of Lyon. She has a strong background in nanomaterials, particularly in the synthesis and self-assembly of colloidal inorganic nanoparticles. As a postdoctoral researcher at the Sustainable Materials Laboratory, she is currently focusing on mycelium-textile composite materials. Outside of the lab, Chiara enjoys outdoor activities, especially swimming in the lake. Chiara’s work is partially funded through the ETH Domain Joint Initiative Proteins for a Sustainable Future. |
 | Wenkui Xing Postdoctoral Researcher Wenkui obtained his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He is currently dedicated to multifunctional bio-based materials, with a particular interest in cellulose-based materials. He has a strong background in nanomaterials and advanced manufacturing. Whenever he is not in the lab, he enjoys traveling. |
Visiting Researchers
 | Federica Daus Doctoral Assistant Federica Daus is a second year PhD candidate from the University of Bologna, under the supervision of Professor Maria Letizia Focarete. She completed a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Perugia and a master’s degree in inorganic chemistry at the University of Pisa. Federica is interested in environmentally friendly materials, coincident with her current research focus on bacterial cellulose produced as a by-product of Kombucha tea fermentation. Her PhD research is in collaboration with the Bioniks (Verona, Italy). |
 | Yuying Kong Doctoral Assistant Yuying Kong is a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering and Technology at Zhejiang University under the supervision of Prof. Xuan Yang. Her research mainly focuses on nanocellulose-based functional materials, with particular interest in their applications in sensing technologies and the interactions between nanocellulose and other functional particles. yuyingkong(at)zju.edu.cn |
Alumni
 | Xiao Han Doctoral Assistant Xiao was born and raised in China. After obtaining her Master’s degree in Materials Physics and Chemistry from University of Chinese Academy of Science, she is now a PhD student at Zhejiang University. Her work focuses on the assembly and formation processes of nanocellulose into materials and the interactions between nanocellulose and other functional particles. xiao.han(at)zju.edu.cn |
 | Dr. Matteo Hirsch Postdoctoral Researcher Research project: Cellulose nanocrystal-based inks After obtaining his PhD in Materials Science at EPFL, Matteo joined the Sustainable Materials Laboratory to work on novel alternatives to replace conventional inks for packaging. He has a strong background in soft matter and advanced manufacturing. Whenever he is not in the lab, Matteo enjoys playing volleyball and finding treasures in flea markets. Matteo’s research in SML was supported by Nestlé. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matteo-hirsch/ Twitter: @matteo_hirsch |
 | Dr. Wenjing Sun Postdoctoral Researcher Research project: Mycelium materials I obtained my PhD in bioproducts engineering at the University of Maine. I have worked with natural-based materials (mostly wood and other lignocellulosic materials and fungal mycelium materials) for more than ten years. My research goal is to understand natural-based materials, develop them into functional all-bio-based products, and investigate strategies to improve their properties. Wenjing’s research in the SML was partially funded by the ETH Domain Joint Initiative Proteins for a Sustainable Future. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wenjing-sun-bbb8a7169/ |
 | Dr. Anastasiia Komarova Research project: Functionalized cellulose-based materials for smart packaging Anastasiia obtained her PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at EPFL where she worked on developing sustainable carbohydrate-based solvents by acetal functionalization of lignocellulosic biomass. She joined the Sustainable Materials Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher in 2024 to work on the functionalization of cellulose-based materials for stimuli-responsive self-assembled packaging. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-komarova-2a9aba14b/ |
 | Dr. Francesca Scarpelli Francesca obtained her PhD in Physical, Chemical and Materials Sciences and Technologies at Unical (Università della Calabria). She is currently a junior researcher in General and Inorganic Chemistry at Unical, where she works on the design, synthesis, and characterization of inorganic compounds as multifunctional additives for biopolymeric matrices. She spent 6 months at SML as a visiting researcher in 2023/2024. francesca.scarpelli(at)unical.it |
 | Kosuke Ayama Research Project: Cellulose nanomaterials Kosuke completed his master’s degree in 2023 the Materials Science and Engineering department at EPFL on the characterization and utilization of microcrystalline cellulose and other cellulose nanomaterials. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kosuke-ayama/ |
 | Lise Kretz Research Project: Self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals Lise completed her master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at EPFL in 2023. Her research in the Sustainable Materials Laboratory focused on characterizing the effects of sugars on the self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals. |
 | Alicia Vivas Hernando SML researcher from Sept 2022-Aug 2023 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-vivas-hernando |