Biography:
Dr. ir. Pieter Samyn received Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering 2007 at Ghent University in the field of polymer tribology and subsequently developed an academic career with several post-doc and assistant professor positions at University Ghent, Freiburg, and Hasselt. In 2021, he joined the collective research center Sirris as a Senior Research Engineer in Circular Economy and Renewable Materials. He has broad experience on the synthesis, processing and analytical characterization of bio-based materials for nanocomposites and coatings. His analytical experiences focus on several types of spectroscopy, thermal analysis, elemental analysis and chromatography. His research focusses on surface functionalization of natural materials and papers in particular for engineering applications, subsequently leading research projects on bio-inspired adhesion mechanisms, bio-based barrier-coatings for packaging papers and the development of functional (nano)composite materials from bio-based building blocks (cellulose, biopolymers) including melt-processing conditions. His work was awarded with a Robert-Bosch Juniorprofessorship, Baden-Wurttemberg Juniorprofessorenprogramm, Heinz-Maier Leibnitz Preis, FRIAS Fellowship and visiting scholar stependia at several research institutes. Currently, he assists companies in implementation of bio-based coatings and paints for industrial application.
Title : Interface design for circular bio-composites: Sensing the failure
Title : Raman spectroscopy and imaging in organization, processing and functionalization of polysaccharide materials