Susana De Matos Fernandes

Susana De Matos Fernandes is an Associate Professor and Chair Holder (E2S UPPA – MANTA) at the Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (France) within the Institute of Analytical Sciences and Physico-Chemistry for Environment and Materials (IPREM). She also serves as a Guest Researcher at Uppsala University (Sweden). Her research focuses on functional bio-based materials, marine biomass valorization, and biomaterials for biomedical applications. She holds multiple grants and leadership roles, including coordination of the Chaire Partenarial E2S UPPA – MANTA and the FORMAS Future Research Leaders Grant.

Education:

• PhD in Chemistry of Polymers (2010) - Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
• MSc in Processes of Production of Pulp and Paper Engineering (2006) - University of Beira Interior

Research Interests: Development of bio-inspired materials from marine resources, sustainable nanocomposites, and marine biotechnology applications in regenerative medicine. Her work emphasizes biomimetic approaches and blue biotechnology to create eco-friendly materials and solutions for environmental and health challenges.

Awards & Grants:

• Ikerbasque Research Fellow Award (2017)
• Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (2014-2016)
• Top Cited Author (Carbohydrate Research, 2012-2013)

Supervision & Projects: Supervised PhD/MSc students across Spain, France, and Sweden. Led projects such as the MANTA Chair (2018–2023) and coordinated international grants from ANR and FORMAS. Active in academic roles like Guest Editor for Polymers and member of the BiPoCo International Conference committee.

Labs & Teams: Research focuses on marine-derived biomaterials at IPREM and collaborations with Uppsala University. Her lab specializes in nanochitin and bacterial cellulose-based materials.