Former Postdoctoral Fellow (2004–2006) Paula Mendes, who spent three years (2004–2006) in the Group at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and is now Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, has been awarded the Sharma Medal by the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). The medal honors sustained and outstanding research contributions in chemical engineering during her academic career to date.
Paula made exceptional advances at the intersection of engineering novel, functional materials and applying them to healthcare. In her interdisciplinary work in nanoscience and nanotechnology, she is continuing to develop novel methods for controlling the structure and functionality of materials at the molecular and nanometer scale levels. She has been making unique and sophisticated contributions to the creation of new smart materials for biological and medical sensors. Most recently, Professor Mendes’ research on smart sensor chips is helping improve the accuracy and efficiency of prostate cancer diagnosis that rely on the subtle differences between glycoprotein molecules.
During her time at in the Group at UCLA, Paula worked on (i) Langmuir Monolayers of Amphiphilic Bistable Rotaxanes, (ii) Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Dendronized Polymers and (iii) Electrochemically Controllable Self-Assembly of Proteins.
Well done Paula! Many congratulations!
Pictured below – Sharma Medal winner Paula Mendes alongside a collection of IChemE medals:
