About myself

I am a Georg Forster Research Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). I hold a PhD in Engineering Sciences from the National University of Córdoba, Argentina, and have a background in chemical and food process engineering.

My research focuses on understanding process–structure–function relationships in complex food and pharmaceutical systems. I combine biopolymer, emulsion and encapsulation systems with rheological and interfacial characterization, atomisation and spray drying, particle engineering, and process modelling.

Before joining KIT, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at CONICET–UNC in Argentina, focusing on micro- and nanostructured systems produced by wet-stirred media milling, together with process modelling, kinetics and optimisation. My previous international research experience also includes fellowships at Instituto de la Grasa–CSIC and the University of Seville in Spain.

In 2026, as part of my Humboldt fellowship, I completed a research stay at the School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, where I expanded my research towards electrospinning and electrospraying of polymer- and emulsion-based systems for pharmaceutical applications and drug delivery, particularly PVA/gum arabic systems and curcumin-loaded formulations.

Current research at KIT

My current Humboldt research investigates how material composition, structure, rheological behaviour and interfacial properties govern atomisation and spray drying of complex biopolymer-based systems.

A particular focus is placed on highly concentrated gum arabic systems and pea-protein-based emulsions and dispersions. I investigate relationships between shear, nonlinear and extensional rheological behaviour, interfacial properties, droplet formation and spray-drying performance.

The broader aim is to establish mechanistic relationships between structure and interactions in the feed material, its behaviour during processing, and the properties and functionality of the resulting product.

Research Focus

• Process–structure–function relationships in complex dispersed systems

• Gum arabic and other biopolymer systems

• Pea proteins and plant-protein-based emulsions

• Emulsions, microencapsulation and delivery systems

• Rheology, including nonlinear and extensional rheology

• Interfacial characterization and interfacial rheology

• Atomisation and spray drying

• Particle and nanoparticle engineering

• Electrospinning and electrospraying

• PVA/gum arabic fibre systems

• Curcumin encapsulation and drug delivery

• Process modelling, optimisation and scale-up

Methods

My research combines experimental and modelling approaches, including shear and oscillatory rheology, nonlinear and extensional rheological characterization, interfacial measurements and interfacial rheology, laser-diffraction-based spray and particle-size analysis, emulsion and particle characterization, and optical and electron microscopy.

From a processing perspective, my experience includes atomisation and spray drying at laboratory and pilot scales, as well as electrospinning and electrospraying. I use these approaches to investigate how material properties and process conditions determine structural development and the functionality of the resulting particle, fibre and delivery systems.