Aline Saiani

Biography

Aline F. Miller is a Professor of Biomolecular Engineering in the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science at the University of Manchester having previously been Reader (2013), Senior Lecturer (2007) and Lecturer (2002) within the University. Prior to this she held a New Hall College Junior Research Fellowship at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University working with Professor Dame Athene Donald FRS. She is a chemist by training (B.Sc. and Ph.D.) and during this time gained several awards, including the Sir George Beilby Medal and the Hackman Research Fellowship. She has also gained several awards while in Manchester including the Exxon Mobil Teaching Fellowship in 2004 and in 2008 was awarded The Royal Society of Chemistry MacroGroup UK Young Researchers Medal and also The Institute of Physics, Polymer Physics Group Young Researchers Lecture Award for her work on self-assembling materials. More recently she won the 2014 Philip Leverhulme Prize for Engineering and was shortlisted for the 2014 WISE Research Award. Aline’s current research interests lie at the life-science interface with emphasis on applying physical principles to mimic, manipulate and improve biomolecular self-assembly. In this area she has published over 100 refereed papers, authored 5 patents and has won > £8M from research councils, EU, charities and industry to support her research group. Some of this work is now being commercialised through PeptiGelDesign Ltd which she co-founded in 2014. Aline is also Research Director for her School and leading Gender Equality and Athena SWAN activities within the University.

Qualifications

1997 - 2000    PhD in Polymer Science, Durham University. Viva date 18.12.2000.

Thesis title: Organisation and Dynamics of Well-Defined Graft Copolymers at the Air-Water Interface. Supervisor Prof. Randal Richards.

1993 - 1997    B.Sc. First Class Honours in Chemistry, Strathclyde University.

Awarded 14.06.1997.

1995 - 1996    Undergraduate exchange year, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.