Ainara Sangroniz Agudo

Ainara Sangroniz Agudo is an Assistant Professor at POLYMAT and the University of the Basque Country, where she leads the Sustainable Materials for Food Packaging research group. She obtained her BSc in Chemistry (2014) and MSc in Chemistry and Polymers (2015) from the University of the Basque Country. She completed her PhD at the same institution in 2020 with the support of a competitive Basque Government fellowship. In 2021, she was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the Basque Government (1st position) to join the research group of Eugene Y.X. Chen at Colorado State University. That same year, she received the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship from the European Union, allowing her to continue her research at Colorado State University. During her postdoctoral training, she specialized in polymer chemistry and the development of sustainable polymeric materials, publishing in leading international journals and working with universities and industrial partners focused on developing a circular economy for plastics. In January 2023, she obtained a position as Assistant Professor at the University of the Basque Country and POLYMAT to start her independent career. Her research focuses on the design and development of advanced sustainable materials for food packaging, addressing the environmental challenges associated with conventional plastics. Her group investigates structure-property relationships that determine key functional properties, particularly gas and vapor barrier performance, with the goal of developing high-performance, recyclable, and sustainable packaging materials. By integrating fundamental polymer science with application-driven research, her team seeks innovative strategies to reduce plastic waste while meeting the demanding requirements of modern food packaging. Her research excellence has been recognized through several competitive awards, including the Extraordinary PhD Thesis Award from the University of the Basque Country and the CAF-Elhuyar Award. She has also been awarded a six-year research period ("sexenio de investigación") recognized by ANECA.