Background
Carmen received an MEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Granada (Spain). After a few years working in Brussels, sitting on the executive board of the European Confederation of Junior Enterprises, she decided to undertake a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, graduating in 2008 from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Her PhD work has driven the development of a novel technique for the engineering and tailoring of functionalities and geometries within solid polymeric foams via controlled ultrasonic irradiation.
Carmen was a Research Fellow at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, from 2008 until 2010. She then took up a lectureship position in Mechanical Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. Carmen joined the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University in April 2013 as a Senior Lecturer.
Research interests
Carmen's research interest is in the manufacture of multifunctional materials, in particular porous materials whose internal architecture can be tailored to meet specific requirements (i.e., structural and bio-active materials). This enables her to collaborate with a broad spectrum of disciplines (e.g., bioengineers, computer modellers, mathematicians, food technologists, clinicians, materials scientists, etc.). Her research requires a very close contact with industry and she has attracted funding from public and private sources.
Main research projects:
- Generation of engineered multifunctional structures, tailored to specific applications in bioengineering and the food industry, via ultrasonic sonication
- Design and manufacture of medical devices
- Lightweight components manufacture for the automotive industry
Broad interests and expertise:
- Added functionality in materials and structures
- Materials and lightweight structures
- Medical and orthopaedic applications and devices
- Bioengineering and scaffolds for medical applications
- Packaging and sacrificial structures
- Architecture and design; intelligent materials for buildings
- Elimination and control of hazardous substances
- Use of renewable, biodegradable materials
- Acoustic applications for the manipulation and manufacture of materials
- Embedded Intelligence in products and systems
Current teaching responsibilities
Carmen always ensures her students get exposed to very hands-on activities, where they can practise the theory and learn by doing.