Dr Fabian Mehner

Fabian is a Postdoctoral Research Associate working on the formulation of sustainable plastics and their enzymatic recycling in the Prevent Plastic Pollution by Engineering Biology (P3EB) project. He studied Chemistry at the University of Technology in Dresden, Germany, and has since moved to different cities for research exchanges before returning to beautiful Saxony. He worked on biodegradable microstructures for artificial fertilisation in the group of Prof. Medina-Sanchez, on the synthesis of partially degradable polyoxazolines with Prof. Hoogenboom in Ghent, and in the group of Prof. Howdle in Nottingham on the use of supercritical CO2 as a green solvent. With great ambition to develop a biodegradable PEG alternative for cosmetics and biomedicine, he then started his PhD at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research in Dresden under the supervision of Prof. Voit and Dr. Gaitzsch. Being lucky enough to participate in and travel to various conferences, paired with industrial mentoring through his scholarship from the Evonik Foundation, he learned about both the academic and industrial boundaries of sustainability. Following the scale of material streams, he decided to shift his focus from the synthesis of materials designed for recycling to the actual recycling process. In his free time, he enjoys nature, climbing, and trying apple crumbles in the pubs of England.