Carla Vilela has a graduation in Chemical Engineering (2004), master in Materials Science and Engineering (2008) and PhD in Chemistry (2012) by the University of Aveiro (UA, Portugal). During 4 years (2004-2008), she was a laboratory technician responsible for the laboratory management and organization, as well as for the technical and laboratorial support to graduation and post-graduation students and R&D projects at UA. Between 2009 and 2011 she was a volunteer assistant lecturer of the laboratory classes of Elements of Physical Chemistry and General Chemistry in the Chemistry Department of the same university. In 2013, she started a post-doctoral project (FCT grant) at CICECO–Aveiro Institute of Materials.

Currently, she is a researcher at the same institute and her main research interests include the sustainable use of biopolymers for the development of novel functional nanostructured materials for both biomedical and technological applications. She is the author/co-author of 1 book, 3 book chapters, 43 articles in international peer reviewed multidisciplinary high impact journals (ISI, h-index 18, citations: 1056), and several oral and poster communications in national and international conferences. CVilela is a member of the Portuguese Materials Society (SPM), European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence (EPNOE) and Editorial Board of Cogent Chemistry (Taylor & Francis).

twitter.com/CarlaACVilela

Her research interests focus on the sustainable use of biopolymers (bacterial cellulose, chitosan, alginate, pullulan, proteins, etc.) for the engineering of multifunctional materials for both biomedical (e.g. drug delivery) and technological (e.g. active packaging and fuel cells) applications.

BioPol4fun - Innovation in biopolymer based functional materials and bioactive compounds 

Follow the group activities at:

https://pt.linkedin.com/in/biopol4fun-group-1398a315b

https://twitter.com/BioPol4 

Portuguese Collaborators

- CICECO, UA: Carmen S.R. Freire, Armando J.D. Silvestre, Filipe M.L. Figueiredo, Paulo R. Claro, Mariela Nolasco

- TEMA, UA: Gil Gonçalves, Eddy M. Domingues

- CESAM, UA: Helena Oliveira, Adelaide Almeida

International Collaborators

- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel: Zvi Hayouda

National projects

- National project 034/7.1/ADI/NOR (2008, TEAM MEMBER): Synthesis of resins from fatty acids / vegetable oils.

- National project PTDC/QUI-QUI/120982/2010 (2013, TEAM MEMBER): Creating value from bio-wastes: suberin extraction and biotransformation in biocompatible ionic liquids aiming on novel biomaterials and compounds .

- National project CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-031289 (2018-2021, TEAM MEMBER): NANOBIOINKS – Engineering bio-based nanofibers for the development of high-performance nanostructured bioinks for 3-D bioprinting (in progress).

European projects

- European Project SUSTAINPACK IP-500311-2 (2004-2008, TEAM MEMBER): Innovation and Sustainable Development in the Fibre-based Packaging Value Chain.

- European project H2020-BBI-JTI-201 ID:8837527 (2019-2023, TEAM MEMBER): GRETE - Green chemicals and technologies for the wood-to-textile value chain (in progress).

ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL, Oxford, UK)

- Beamtime at TOSCA instrument, experiment number: 1820360 (November 16-20, 2018, TEAM MEMBER): Structural characterization of cellulose-based nanocomposites by inelastic neutron scattering.

- Beamtime at TOSCA instrument, experiment number: 1920244 (November 13-18, 2019, TEAM MEMBER): API-DES: improving drug solubility with deep eutectic solvents by inelastic neutron scattering.

COST Actions

- Participation in the COST Action FP1405: Active and intelligent fibre-based packaging – innovation and market introduction (ActInPak, http://www.actinpak.eu/) (2015-2019).

- Participation in the COST Action CA18220: European network of FURan based chemicals and materials FOR a Sustainable development (2019-2023, in progress).

2018: Editorial Board Member of Cogent Chemistry (Cogent OA, Taylor & Francis Group) in the Materials Chemistry section (https://www.cogentoa.com/journal/chemistry/editors).

2018: Guest editor for Applied Sciences (MDPI) of the Special Issue on Bacterial Cellulose Composites (http://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/Bacterial_Cellulose_Composites).

2019: Guest editor for Nanomaterials (MDPI) of the Special Issue on Nanocellulose-based materials for active food packaging (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/special_issues/nanocellulose_packaging).

2019: Guest editor for Materials (MDPI) of the Special Issue on Advanced biopolymer-based nanocomposites and hybrid materials (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials/special_issues/biopolymer_nanocomposites_hybrid_materials).

2019:  Editorial Board Member as topic editor of Nanomaterials (MDPI) (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/topic_editors).

PhD students

Ana C.Q. Silva, Development of micromotors based on cellulose via microfluidics for drug delivery and diagnosis, PhD in in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire, Professor Armando J.D. Silvestre and Doctor Carla Vilela, FCT grant: SFRH/BD/140230/2018, University of Aveiro, 2018/2022 (in progress).

Bruno F.A. Valente, Development of thermoplastic composites with high cellulose incorporation, PhD in Biorefinery, Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire  and Doctor Carla Vilela, Project grant: BD INPACTUS/BR18/UA/09-01/2018, University of Aveiro, 2018/2022 (in progress).

MSc students

Louise Saïdi, Bacterial cellulose/poly(N-methacryloyl glycine) nanocomposites by in situ polymerization, Master in Functionalized Advanced Materials and Engineering (Erasmus Mundus FAME), Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire and Doctor Carla Vilela, University of Aveiro, 2014/2015.

Ana P. Martins, Bacterial cellulose based composite membranes for fuel cells, Master in Chemical Engineering, Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire and Doctor Carla Vilela, University of Aveiro, 2015/2016.

Daniel M. Cordeiro, Development of nanocellulose-based membranes for microbial fuel cells, Master in Biotechnology, Supervisors: Doctor Carla Vilela and Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire, University of Aveiro, 2016/2017.

Marta F.G. Maia, Development of multilayer systems for the controlled delivery of anti-cancer drugs, Master in Biochemistry, Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire and Doctor Carla Vilela, University of Aveiro, 2016/2017.

João P.F. Carvalho, Multi-layered nanosystems for the controlled release of anticancer drugs, Master in Biochemistry, Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire and Doctor Carla Vilela, University of Aveiro, 2017/2018.

Barbara Pereira, New microneedle systems for transdermal delivery, Master in Biochemistry, Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire and Doctor Carla Vilela, University of Aveiro, 2018/2019.

João Morais, Biomembranes based on bacterial nanocellulose for polymer electrolyte fuel cells, Master in Chemical Engineering, Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire and Doctor Carla Vilela, University of Aveiro, 2018/2019 (in progress).

BSc students (graduation final project)

Júlia C.S. Matos, New biocompatible and bioactive materials from bacterial cellulose, Graduation in Biotechnology, Supervisors: Professor Armando J.D. Silvestre and Doctor Carla Vilela, University of Aveiro, 2012/2013.

Ana P.D. Amorim, Novel nanocellulose composites for biomedical applications, Graduation in Biochemistry, Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire and Doctor Carla Vilela, University of Aveiro, 2014/2015.

Cristina A.M. Silva, Novel bacterial cellulose nanocomposites for application in biomineralization, Graduation in Biotechnology, Supervisors: Doctor Carla Vilela and Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire, University of Aveiro, 2015/2016.

Cátia F.M. Rodrigues, Development of multilayer membranes for drug delivery, Graduation in Biochemistry, Supervisors: Doctor Carla Vilela and Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire, University of Aveiro, 2016/2017.

Catarina P. Rodrigues, Development of implantable materials for cardiac regeneration, Graduation in Biochemistry, Supervisors: Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire and Doctor Carla Vilela, University of Aveiro, 2017/2018.

Ana M.S. Loureiro, Design of multilayer capsules for the controlled delivery of anti-cancer drugs, Graduation in Biochemistry, Supervisors: Doctor Carla Vilela and Doctor Carmen S.R. Freire, University of Aveiro, 2017/2018.