Winner of the 2021 EFCE-EMS Joint Excellence Award in Membrane Engineering.
The European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE) and the European Membrane Society (EMS) have named Cédric Van Goethem as the winner of the 2021 EFCE-EMS Joint Excellence Award in Membrane Engineering. He earned the honor for his PhD thesis “Preparation and characterization of novel thin-film nanocomposite and asymmetric nanofiltration membranes,” done while at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
His work focused on developing membranes with high stability that are suitable for solvents or in conditions of extreme pH, and thin-film composite membranes with special fillers with high selectivity in nanofiltration.
Using advanced characterization methods, Van Goethem achieved a detailed fundamental understanding of how nanocomposite membranes are formed and how they work. In addition, he developed crosslinked polyvinylidene fluoride as a novel material for membranes.
