Post-doc and Research Staff Positions
We currently have no openings.
EPFL Semester Projects
We offer semester projects in our lab every semester. If you are interested in a hands-on project in our group, please reach out directly to Tiffany, including your CV.
PhD Positions
We currently have no openings. To join the group as a PhD student, you will first need to be admitted to an EPFL graduate program, either EDMX (Materials) or EDCH (Chemistry).
Masters Projects and Internships
Open master’s thesis or internship as of October 2026, looking to fill ASAP:
From Acid Amyloids to Functional Films: Role of Neutralization in Whey and Soy Systems
Project description
Protein amyloid fibrils are bio-based building blocks for sustainable packaging due to their nanoscale stiffness, high aspect ratio, and ability to reinforce polymer matrices. However, their integration into all-protein systems remains challenging: they are typically produced under acidic conditions (pH 2), which is incompatible with neutral-pH protein matrices used in film casting, or requires large amounts of plasticizer to process at low pH. This master’s project investigates how pH-shift neutralization (pH 2 to 7-8) modifies amyloid fibril morphology and dispersion in whey protein isolate (WPI) and soy protein isolate (SPI) systems, and how these changes translate into film performance. The two systems are compared deliberately: their distinct protein compositions and isoelectric points are expected to produce different aggregation responses upon neutralization, offering broader insights than a single-system study could provide.
The student will produce amyloid fibrils, neutralize them under controlled conditions, and characterize structural integrity and size distribution (ThT fluorescence, AFM, zeta potential). Neutralized fibrils will then be incorporated into their corresponding protein matrices to fabricate films by solvent casting, with glycerol as plasticizer and tannic acid as crosslinker to improve reproducibility. Film performance will be evaluated across packaging-relevant properties: mechanical behavior (tensile strength, elongation at break, toughness), surface wetting (water contact angle), moisture response (water uptake and solubility), and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR).
Expected outcome: a deeper understanding of how neutralization controls fibril dispersion and film structure-property relationships in WPI and SPI protein-protein composites, providing practical guidelines for designing reproducible bio-based packaging films.
Contact: [email protected]