Maria-Chiara Ferrari

Professor Maria-Chiara Ferrari holds a Personal Chair of Membrane Separations at the University of Edinburgh's School of Engineering. Her research focuses on advanced membrane technologies for gas separation, carbon capture, and environmental applications. She leads projects such as EMC2 (Thin-film composite membranes against Climate Change) and SynHiSel, emphasizing sustainable CO2 cycle solutions. Key contributions include developing high-performance mixed matrix membranes, optimizing polymer stability, and exploring ionic liquid and zeolitic frameworks. Collaborations span global institutions, with active involvement in conferences like the EMS Summer School. Her work integrates material synthesis, membrane fabrication, and environmental sustainability, addressing challenges in post-combustion carbon capture and industrial flue gas treatment.

Major projects include the UKRI-funded Double-Active Membranes for CO2 cycle innovation and EU Horizon collaborations. Her research outputs span over 70 peer-reviewed articles, emphasizing CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 separation mechanisms, polymer aging effects, and membrane morphology optimization. She also explores applications in water treatment via bipolar membranes and electrodialysis. Advising roles include co-investigatorships in multi-million pound grants, driving interdisciplinary research in materials science and chemical engineering.