First graduates of UM's Biobased Materials MSc

After two years of hard work, the first graduates received their well-deserved diplomas for the master’s programme in Biobased Materials.

The ceremony took place on 14 July at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, in the new Center Court-building where the five graduates worked for two years. This campus is a more industrial setting that connects well to the goals of Maastricht University concerning Biobased Materials research and education.

During the ceremony, the students were praised by their thesis supervisors for their academic expertise, motivation, persistence, and the desire to keep learning.

Biobased Materials

In their master thesis research projects the graduates worked on biocatalysis and synthesis of novel building blocks for new biobased polymers, processing of composites, and biodegradation of synthetic polymers as for instance nylon.

We would like to thank the students for being such an important factor for the growth of the ‘Biobased Academic Community’ at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus and we wish them all the best in their future careers.

The graduates

  • Luciano Monsegue will look for a PhD position outside the UM
  • Chang Liu will be working on her start-up at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, in collaboration with the Brightlands Innovation Factory and several companies
  • Inge Hermsen graduated summa cum laude and will continue working at Corbion  
  • Matthew Elford will remain attached to the Aachen-Maastricht Institute Biobased Materials (AMIBM) for the next couple of months
  • Petya Yaneva will look for a PhD position outside the UM

From left to right: Luciano Monsegue, Chang Liu, Inge Hermsen, Matthew Elford, Petya Yaneva

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