Atefeh Khorsand Kheirabad receives this year's Sigrid Arrhenius scholarship!

Atefeh Khorsand Kheirabad receives this year's Sigrid Arrhenius scholarship for her research on new hybrid and composite porous membranes.

The Board of Science at Stockholm University has awarded Atefeh Khorsand Kheirabad the 2023 scholarship from the Sigrid Arrhenius Scholarship Fund. The prize is given out to outstanding research that leads to a doctoral degree, this year's monetary award is 81 000 SEK.

Atefeh Khorsand Kheirabad recently defended her PhD at the Department of Materials and environmental chemistry. Her PhD thesis content relates to the preparation and application of new hybrid and composite porous membranes derived from an imidazolium-type poly(ionic liquid).

The topic of porous polymer membranes have been extensively studied in the field of materials science and sustainable development. This is because of their applications in various fields including filtration and separation, energy and environment, heterogenous catalysis, CO2 capture and utilization, and so on.

Previously, most studies were majorly focused on pure polymer-based porous membranes, while her thesis work has accelerated this research area by preparation of hybrid and composite porous poly(ionic liquid) membranes from inorganic materials. The newly incorporated inorganic species or fillers in the membrane have broadend the property and the function window of such membranes and advanced this research area into a new dimension which has not been much explored yet.

The thesis was completed in professor Jiayin Jiayin Yuan’s group. 

Atefeh Khorsand Kheirabad has now started a new position as a postdoctoral researcher at fiber and polymer technology (biocomposite division) of KTH.

From MMK we say congratulations and best of luck with your Post doc!