Education

Connie Ocando received her BSc in Chemical Engineering from The University of Zulia, Venezuela, where she received the award for one of the students with the best qualifications record. Afterwards, she carried out her PhD at The University of the Basque Country in the "Materials + Technologies" group, San Sebastián, Spain, under the supervision of Prof. Iñaki Mondragon, where she focused on the development of multifunctional nanostructured thermosetting materials. After her PhD, she has been involved in various industrial-university transfer knowledge projects in Spain (EDERFIL KOOP. E.), Argentina (YPF) in the context of a Technological and Social Development program founded by CONICET (Consejo nacional de investigaciones científicas y técnicas) and Belgium (Derbigum-Imperbel Group) in the context of a COFUND program of the European Union. She has worked as post-doctoral research assistant at the University of Buenos Aires (ITPN), the University of Mons (LPSI and SMPC) and the University of Strasbourg (BioTeam). Currently, Connie is a Gipuzkoa Fellow at the Basque Center for MACROMOLECULAR DESIGN & ENGINEERING, Polymat Fundazioa, Advanced Multiphasic Polymers Group, where she is conducting her independent research on the sustainable development of polymeric materials with application-oriented properties.

Gipuzkoa Fellow, Basque Excellence Research Centre, POLYMAT fundazioa, San Sebastián.

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow (BEWARE), Mons University - Physics Department. This program focuses on technology transfer between a French-speaking University and a Walloon company.

Research

Application-oriented researcher on fundamental and applied aspects of polymer science and engineering highly motivated in proof of concept, product design and technological innovation to create outperforming polymeric materials, and therefore find practical applications in demanding and cutting-edge areas. Nowadays, Connie is highly interested in adapting her research into the circular economy actions by the valorization of bio-based polymers from biomass to design eco-friendly, easily recyclable and re-usable products. Her recent research expertise consists in designing and developing durable and scalable superhydrophobic and omniphobic coatings based on a bio-resin from cashew nut shell liquid (Two international patents). In addition, she has been working on biomaterials developments for biomedical applications, click chemistry, dynamic reversible covalent cross-linking and bio-based vitrimers as promising materials to obtain self-healing, reshaping, recycling and shape memory thermosetting materials. As a junior independent researcher at POLYMAT fundazioa, her goal is to design, develop and understand the structure-properties relationship of novel functional and smart polymers for environmental purposes and soft robotics applications.

Advanced Multiphasic Polymers (AMP) Group

Publikazioak