Current members

Armin is a Professor at the Faculty of Engineering (EPB) of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), where he established and leads the BioMatter lab. His research focuses on biomaterials for tissue engineering and biochemical engineering, with a particular emphasis on valorizing biomass materials for biomedical applications. Before joining ULB in 2018, Armin conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Otago in New Zealand, collaborating with Lincoln University (NZ) and Deakin University (Australia). He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Otago in 2017 for his research on bone scaffolds generated from waste marine shells. Armin holds a Master of Chemical Engineering from the University of Putra Malaysia.

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Lei Nie completed his Ph.D. (2013) from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and after that received three years of postdoctoral training at Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (CAS, China) and Free University of Berlin (Germany). He began his research as an independent PI at Xinyang Normal University (China) in 2017. He started 3D bioprinting work at KU Leuven (Belgium) in 2019. His main research interests include biopolymers, drug delivery, nanoparticles, and tissue engineering and he is currently a visiting professor at BioMatter lab.

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Qiong Xiang completed her Ph.D. (2014) from Harbin Institute of Technology(HIT), and then got the assistant professor position in Jishou University(China). During 2017-2020, She received postdoctoral training at the University of Strasbourg/Inserm UMR-1255(France) and Technical University of Munich /Helmholtz Center Munich (Germany). She promoted as associated professor at Jishou University(China) in 2021. Her research interests focus on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of tumor and neurodegenerative disease and now she is a visiting researcher at BioMatter lab.

Oseweuba completed his Ph.D. at the University of Otago, New Zealand, in 2019, where his research focused on the design of systems that can facilitate the production of biomaterials, biochemicals, and bioenergy from renewable carbon resources. He is a Senior Researcher at the BioMatter research unit, at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Process/Chemical Engineering, Stellenbosch University, South Africa where he explored the modeling of biorefinery systems. He has also previously worked as a Research Fellow in the Energy Technology Unit at, the University of Otago, New Zealand. His main research interests include circular economy, biomaterial development, process design, chemical Engineering, and biorefinery design.

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Hafez received his bachelor’s in Polymer Engineering from Tehran University, Iran, and moved on to pursue a master’s in Bioengineering (Tissue Engineering) from Tehran University. During his master’s, he worked in the fields of bone tissue engineering. Hafez did his Ph.D. at BioMatter from 2019- 2023 on developing 3-dimensional anti-infectious hydrogels with adhesive properties for skin wound healing application. He was granted a BOF postdoctoral fellowship in 2023 to join Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Research Group at Ghent University. He is now doing his postdoc at BioMatter working on a proof of concept project funded by innoviris.

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Julia studied at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland, for her Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Science degrees. She is interested in research that integrates aspects of medical and technical sciences, as she studied Biomedical Engineering, and obtained two master’s degrees in Management and Manufacturing Engineering and Chemistry and Materials Engineering with specialization in Advanced Functional Materials. Now, she moved to Brussels for PhD studies. Her work will be related to developing a 3D bioprinted angiogenesis model for salivary glands, beginning with materials synthesis, bioprinting and ending with functional evaluation. This project will be a part of the ongoing collaboration between the Faculty of Medicine (ULB, Erasme), BioMatter (ULB, Solbosch) and Dr Daria Podstawczyk from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland.

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She obtained her bachelor of Engineering and Master of Science degrees in chemical engineering in Iran. Then, she accomplished her joint master’s degree in chemical and materials engineering with a specialization in Materials science from VUB/ULB universities (BRUFACE program) in Belgium. She continued her studies as a Ph.D. student in the field of polymer science (biopolymers) Since biomaterials science is her interest. Her research field study is associated with biomaterial ink development using biobased polymer networks. This project will perform in collaboration between VUB-FYSC and ULB-BIOMATTER universities.

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Saba completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in Biomaterials at Azad University of Najaf Abad in 2021. She then earned her Master’s degree in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering from University College London, graduating in 2023. In May 2025, she began her PhD at BioMatter, where she focuses on the development of Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) for bone tissue engineering.

I received my bachelor’s from Lorestan University and master’s from Tehran University in Polymer Engineering. My master thesis was about preparing polymeric scaffolds in bone tissue engineering applications. During my master, Meanwhile, I worked in the field of antibacterial wound dressing based on biocompatible and biodegradable polymers. My Ph.D. project will be on smart oxygen wound dressing that can optimize oxygen release profile in the local of the wound and facilitate the wound healing process.

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Man Li received her bachelor’s in Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacy and master’s in Traditional Chinese Medicine at Henan University of Chinese Medicine (China). Her master’s thesis was nanoparticle preparation and its application to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Her Ph.D. project will be on developing an intelligent responsive composite hydrogel containing nanozyme for the potential healing of wounds.

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Qianqian studied for her bachelor’s and master’s at the College of Life Science of Xinyang Normal University, China. During her master’s, she was interested in multifunctional hydrogel biomaterials as dressings for wound healing. Then, she joined the BioMatter (ULB, Solbosch) lab to pursue her PhD study in the field of wound monitoring which benefits from providing correct diagnosis and treatment decisions for wound repair via timely and accurate assessment of wounds during the wound healing process, especially chronic wounds.

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Simin earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Isfahan in Iran, where she focused on pharmaceutical wastewater treatment using advanced oxidation processes and the development of nanophotocatalysts. She went on to complete a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering – Biotechnology at Isfahan University of Technology, specializing in waste valorization within a biorefinery framework. Her research involved applying various pretreatment techniques to lignocellulosic biomass to facilitate its conversion into bioethanol, biomethane, and other value-added biochemicals through anaerobic digestion and fermentation. Simin later joined the BioMatter Lab as a research assistant, where she is currently working on biocrude upgrading technologies.

Amir completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Cell and Molecular Biology at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. His master’s thesis focused on developing and evaluating multifunctional nanoparticles for targeted chemo/radio/gene cancer theranostics. He is now pursuing a Ph.D. at ULB, where his project is about developing intelligent vesicles to target hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment, with the goal of enhancing imaging precision and therapeutic effectiveness in cancer treatment

Amir completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Cell and Molecular Biology at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. His master’s thesis focused on developing and evaluating multifunctional nanoparticles for targeted chemo/radio/gene cancer theranostics. He is now pursuing a Ph.D. at ULB, where his project is about developing intelligent vesicles to target hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment, with the goal of enhancing imaging precision and therapeutic effectiveness in cancer treatment

Amir Salar received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Isfahan University and his master’s degree in Polymer Engineering from Tehran University. During his master’s studies, he focused on developing conductive nanocomposites based on polymethyl methacrylate, investigating their conductive and structural properties. He then worked as an R&D engineer at Pars Nasim Company, gaining practical experience in material development. Last year, he moved to Brussels to further his academic career by pursuing a Master of Management. He subsequently joined the BioMatter Lab (ULB, Solbosch), where his work centers on designing and testing innovative biomaterials, including biomaterial inks based on chitosan.

Isaline is a fourth-year engineering student at ESTBB (UCLy, France), specializing in biotechnology and innovation management. Her background, combining strong scientific skills developed through extensive hands-on laboratory work and training in project management, enables her to operate at the intersection of science and innovation. She also completed a university exchange in the United States (UNCG, North Carolina), which strengthened her adaptability and international outlook. At BioMatter, she contributes as an R&D Assistant Engineer to the development of 3D bioprinted hydrogel models with vascular-inspired channel networks for dynamic perfusion studies in tissue engineering.

Mandana completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Materials Engineering at the University of Tabriz. She chose to specialize in Biomaterials for her Ph.D. She is pursuing her Ph.D. at K. N. Toosi University of Technology and undertaking a six-month research stay at BioMatter lab at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) . Her research focuses on wound dressings, with a particular emphasis on advanced Janus-based wound dressing.

Diane is a student at ESTBB, a biotechnology engineering school in Lyon, France, specializing in biotechnology and infectiology. She completed a four-month Erasmus exchange at the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, where she followed a health biochemistry program and strengthened her scientific skills. She then completed a three-month internship in a pharmaceutical company, working as a research and development technician, which allowed her to improve her technical and laboratory skills. She had the opportunity to gain further international experience by joining the BioMatter Lab for a three-month internship. Her work focused on synthesizing and evaluating multifunctional MnO₂-based nanoparticles under hypoxic conditions, with the aim of enhancing tumor therapy and imaging through their redox-responsive catalytic properties and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

Houman Alimoradi is an experienced researcher in pharmacology and toxicology and his research mainly focuses on the controlled modulation of nitric oxide (NO; an important signalling molecule in biology) level in pathophysiological conditions using advanced biomaterials. He Studied medical toxicology at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and completed a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology (specializing in medicinal chemistry) at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Houman has extensive previous successful international mobility, interdisciplinary, intersectoral experience and working both in the industry and academia, including working as a lecturer, postdoctoral fellow and R&D Manager at pharmaceutical companies. He is working on the development of O₂/NO-releasing biomaterials for wound dressing applications.

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