Double reason to celebrate at PlastTrack
Two of our scientists were honoured with BHJ awards for their excellent work. Ayoub Laghrissi shared the ‘Young Reseracher Award’ with Ali Khosravi. Ayoub works in the PlastTrack project as a postdoc and has done pioneering work in the field of chemical microscopy with the aim of detecting nanoplastic particles in nature, such as water samples.
Dr Laghrissi’s innovative work has contributed significantly to our understanding of nanoplastics, their environmental impact and the knowledge of detection methods.
In addition to his groundbreaking work on nanoplastics, Dr Laghrissi has opened up new fields of research for the development of colloidal nanomachines. These nanomachines detect pollutants in water and offer a new approach to environmental monitoring and pollution control. His contributions have provided valuable insights and tools to combat water pollution and demonstrated his commitment to solving critical environmental problems.
Our second award winner is Assoc. Prof. Jacek Fiutowski, who together with Assoc. Prof. Serkan Ayvaz, Assoc. Prof. Krzysztof Sierszecki and Assist. Prof Casper Kunstmann received the ‘Innovation Award’. All four have decisively advanced digitalisation in the field of environmental monitoring. The collaboration between the Mærsk McKinney Møller Institute and the Mads Clausen Institute has led to the development of advanced AI algorithms, smart sensors and optical sensor technologies that improve the analysis of water quality and the detection of pollutants. Their digital and 3D-printed microfluidic innovations enable fast and efficient sample processing, allowing for detailed environmental assessments.
The team, in collaboration with the Southern Denmark region and local industry leaders such as Vand Centre SYD A/S, Danfoss A/S. actively translated research results into innovative and sustainable solutions. Their involvement in the Interreg 6a project PlastTrack and other initiatives has been instrumental in advancing environmental monitoring technologies.
Find out more about this years BHJ awards on LinkedIn.
Image: Mogens Petersen
The image shows from left to right: Casper Kunstmann, Jacek Fiutowski, Krzysztof Sierszecki,
Serkan Ayvaz and Horst-Günter Rubahn, Head of the SDU campus Sønderborg.