Meet a researcher

A spot is reserved in the newsletter for researchers to come forward and explain their field of research and express a need for new partnership, for instance to work on a new project, or European call. See below the profiles we received until now.

If you'd like to take part in this initiative, please write to eugreenwp3 @ univ-angers (eugreenwp3 @ univ-angers).fr

Maria Assunção Folque - University of Evora
Maria Assunção Folque has a PhD in Education from the Institute of Education, London University, lectures at the Department of Pedagogy and Education, University of Évora and is member of the Education and Psychology Research Center (CIEP-UE). She is a former pre-school teacher and her research interests are: Education for Sustainability; Listening to children; Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers professional development; ECE Pedagogy; Socio-cultural theories of learning and development, namely the Activity Theory. She has been involved in several action-research projects about Education for Sustainability in Early Years: She coordinates the project Outgoing: children in relation with nature and culture where a Community of practice with teachers and academics explore new ways of children’s (re)connecting with human and more than human outside their schools and its developmental potential. She is a Member of the Special Interest Group (SIG) – Sustainability in Early Childhood Education, from the European Early Childhood Education Research Association EECERA. Assunção Folque co-coordinates the WP3 Cluster 5 Education sciences for sustainable development at EU-GREEN.
Relevant publications:
In press:
• Folque, M. A.., Almeida, T., Rasteio, A. & Simões, A. (2025 in press). Challenges and possible paths in Education for Sustainability in Portugal. In E. Ärlemalm-Hagsér & S. Elliot (Ed.) Envisioning sustainable futures with young children: International case studies in ECEfS. (pp. xx-xx). Springer.
• Folque, M. A., Almeida, T. & Aresta, F. (2025 in press). Becoming with the city: children’s opportunities of education for sustainability. In L. Bøttcher, D. A. Winther-Lindquist , M. Hedegaard & M. Fleer (Eds.), Community and Sustainability in Children’s Development (pp. xx-xx). Springer.
Published:
• Ärlemalm-Hagsér, E., McLeod, N., Kahriman, D., Folque, M. A. & Boyd, D. (2024). Building knowledge and competence to promote sustainability in early childhood education – four European case studies. In J. Davis & S. Elliott (Eds.)Young Children and the Environment: Early Education for Sustainability (3rd ed., pp. 318-338 ). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009199971.019
• Haddad, L. & Folque, M. A. , Bezelga, I. (2024). A criança, a cidade e o patrimônio na construção do currículo e na formação docente na educação infantil / The child, the city and the heritage in the construction of the curriculum and teacher training in early childhood education, Educar em revista, 40, e88732 1-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1984-0411.88732
• Rasteiro, A., Folque, M. A., Valente, M., Gomes, E., Simões, A., Ilhéu, M., Pires, A. L., Almeida, T., Aresta, F. (2023). Do Projeto Outgoing – repensar modos de relação com o mundo. Infância na Europa Hoje, 5, 2-8
• Folque, M. A. (2018). Yes we can! Young children learning to contribute to an enabling society. In Huggins, V. & Evans, D. (eds), Early Childhood Care and Education for Sustainability: International perspectives (pp.67-81). London: Routledge.
• Folque, M. A. & Oliveira, V. (2016). Early Childhood Education For Sustainable Development in Portugal. In J. Siraj-Blatchford, C. Mogharreban, & E. Park, (Eds.), International Research on Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (pp. 103-122). Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-42208-4
Manja Krüger - Otto von Guericke University
Personal Profile
Prof. Manja Krüger studied mechanical engineering at Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg and completed her doctorate in 2010 on the topic of “Powder metallurgical production and characterization of oxidation-resistant molybdenum-based alloys for high-temperature applications”. After working as a professor at RWTH Aachen University and heading the “Materials Mechanics” group at Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany, she is now a professor of High-Temperature Materials at OVGU. Additionally, she is member of the Rectorate at OVGU and helds the position of Vice-Rector for Research and Technology since December 2023.
Motto
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. (Marie Sklodowska Curie)
Expertise
Alloy design for high-temperature metallic materials
Biocompatible refractory metal-based materials
Mechanical properties of metallic and intermetallic materials
Creep phenomena of multi-phase materials
Failure mechanisms of metallic materials
Mechanical alloying of metallic powders and intermetallic compounds
Powder metallurgical production of single-phase and multiphase materials
Heat treatments and oxidation tests
Solidification phenomena of refractory metallic materials
TOP 5 publications
Mechanically alloyed Mo-Si-B alloys with continuous α-Mo matrix and improved mechanical properties
Krüger, Manja; Franz, S.; Saage, Holger; Heilmaier, Martin; Schneibel, J. H.; Jéhanno, P.; Böning, M.; Kestler, H.;
Intermetallics - Barking : Elsevier Science Publ., Bd. 16 (2008), Heft 7, S. 933-941
Metallic materials for structural applications beyond nickel-based superalloys
Heilmaier, M.; Krüger, Manja; Saage, H.; Rösler, J.; Mukherji, D.; Glatzel, U.; Völkl, R.; Hüttner, R.; Eggeler, G.; Somsen, Ch.; Depka, T.; Christ, H.-J.; Gorr, B.; Burk, S.;
JOM - New York, NY : Springer Science + Business Media, Bd. 61 (2009), Heft 7, S. 61-67
Correlation between microstructure and properties of fine grained Mo-Mo 3Si-Mo 5SiB 2 alloys
Krüger, Manja; Jain, P.; Kumar, K. S.; Heilmaier, M.;
Intermetallics - Amsterdam [u.a.]: Elsevier Science, Bd. 48.2014, S. 10-18;
Ductilization of MoSi solid solutions manufactured by powder metallurgy
Saage, H.; Krüger, Manja; Sturm, Daniel; Heilmaier, M.; Schneibel, Joachim H.; George, E.; Heatherly, L.; Somsen, Ch.; Eggelere, G.; Yang, Y.;
Acta materialia - Kidlington : Elsevier Science, Bd. 57 (2009), Heft 13, S. 3895-3901
Structure formation and mechanical properties of the high-entropy AlCuNiFeCr alloy prepared by mechanical alloying and spark plasma
Yurkova, A. I.; Cherniavsky, V. V.; Bolbut, Volodymyr; Krüger, Manja; Bogomol, Iurii;
Journal of alloys and compounds - Lausanne : Elsevier, Bd. 786 (2019), S. 139-148
Francesca Bot - University of Parma

Francesca Bot is an Assistant Professor of Food Science at the University of Parma's Department of Food and Drug. Her research focuses on food ingredient functionality, sustainable food processing, and designing innovative food structures to enhance quality and health benefits.
With a robust international and national research network, she collaborates with renowned institutions such as University College Cork (Ireland), Wageningen University (Netherlands), University of Helsinki (Finland), University of Aveiro (Portugal), Aarhus University (Denmark), Abertay University (Scotland), and the Universities of Udine and Milan (Italy).
Francesca is also active in food science communication, having created a TED-Ed video on the sustainability of soy ingredients (The ingredient in almost everything you eat) and frequently speaks at scientific events hosted by the University of Parma to engage the local community.
More details on her experience and research profile can be found here:
Personnal page on UNIPR website : https://personale.unipr.it/it/ugovdocenti/person/236420
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55986225000
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-bot-59362455/
Niclas Björsell - University of Gävle
Niclas Björsell is Professor in Electronics in Department of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Science at the University of Gävle, where he is research director of the strategic research area Intelligent Industry and head of subject for Electrical Engineering and Physics.
He has more than 30 years of experience from research and development projects; both national and international and mainly in collaborations between industry and the academy. His research interests include measurement technology, wireless communication, robotics, automation and predictive maintenance. The most recent projects are within predictive maintenance. Within the EU Green collaboration, he participates in TecSkill together with the Universities in Extremadura, Évora and Parma and has a Cotutelle PhD student together with Angers.
Selection of recent references
1. A. H. Dadash and N. Björsell “A Framework for Designing Degradation-Aware Controller Based on Empirical Estimation of the State-Action Cost and Model Predictive Control”, Journal of Manufacturing Systems, pp 599-613. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2024.08.024
2. M. Hassan and N. Björsell. “Deployment and Maintenance of Digital Twin in a Secure Industrial Environment”, IEEE International Conference on Prognostics and Health Management (ICPHM24) 2024.
3. A. Bemani and N. Björsell, “Low-Latency Collaborative Predictive Maintenance: Over-the-Air Federated Learning in Noisy Industrial Environments,” Sensors, vol. 23, no. 18, p. 7840, Sep. 2023, https://doi.org/10.3390/s23187840 .
4. M. Hassan, M. Svadling, and N. Björsell, “Experience from Implementing Digital Twins for Maintenance in Industrial Processes,” Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing., 2023, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-023-02078-4 .
Tomina Saveanu - University of Oradea.
Tomina Saveanu is a researcher at the Research Center of Competitiveness and Sustainable Development – Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Oradea. She is recognized for her research in corporate social responsibility of small and medium enterprises, community participation, social research, and project management. Tomina has contributed significantly to the field of sustainable development. She has also been involved in action research, innovation and development projects focused on community involvement, student achievement and extracurricular activities for students, public management, human resources management, sustainability etc.
1. Tomina Saveanu. 2023. Social responsibility of small and medium enterprises in Romania, Presa Universitara Clujeana: Cluj Napoca, Romania, ISBN: 978-606-37-1782-6 (151 pag.) [http://www.editura.ubbcluj.ro/bd/ebooks/pdf/3602.pdf ]
2. Saveanu, T., Badulescu, D., Saveanu, S., Abrudan, M-M., Badulescu, A., 2021. The Role of Owner-Managers in Shaping CSR Activity of Romanian SMEs. Sustainability 13(20), art. no. 11546, DOI: 10.3390/su132011546 2071-1050. Available at https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/20/11546
3. Tomina Gabriela Saveanu; Maria-Madela Abrudan; Sorana Saveanu; Mirabela Constanta Matei. 2019. Predictors of social responsibility actions of SMEs in Romania: Journal of East European Management Studies (JEEMS) - Special Issue; pp. 120-151, https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/9783845298696/corporate-social-responsibility-and-business-ethics-in-the-central-and-eastern-europe#page=120
4. Badulescu, A., Badulescu, D., Saveanu, T., & Hatos, R. (2018). The relationship between firm size and age, and its social responsibility Actions—Focus on a developing country (Romania). Sustainability, 10(3), 805. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su10030805
5. Maria-Madela Abrudan, Tomina Gabriela Săveanu, Mirabela Matei, Mária Ujhelyi, 2015, Obstacles, Realities and Opportunities in Human Resources Management in Public Administration Institutions From Bihor County (Romania) and Hajdú-Bihar County (Hungary), Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences, 45 E/2015, pp. 5-25, http://rtsa.ro/tras/index.php/tras/article/view/434
Karina Becker - Otto von Guerick Magdeburg, Germany
Her research focuses on 1)diversity-oriented, racism-sensitive and dominance-critical didactics in the field of German literature and language, 2) sustainability in teaching and learning at university,3) attitudes of (prospective) teacherstowards various dimensions of diversity (interculturality, multilingualism, religion, gender) from anintersectional perspective.

Recent publications:
Becker, Karina; Hofmann, Michael (ed.): Rassismussensibler Literaturunterricht - Grundlagen, Dimensionen,Herausforderungen, Möglichkeiten (Racism-sensitive literature teaching - basics, dimensions, challenges,possibilities). Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 2023. Open Access: https://verlag.koenigshausen-neumann.de/product/9783826077852-rassismussensibler-literaturunterricht/
Becker, Karina; Kofer, Martina (ed.): Berufsbildender Deutschunterricht im Kontext von Migration undEinwanderung (Vocational German lessons in the context of migration and immigration). Münster:Waxmann 2023. Open Access: https://www.waxmann.com/waxmann-reihen/waxmannreihe-didaktik/?tx_p2waxmann_pi2%5Breihe%5D=REI100339&tx_p2waxmann_pi2%5Baction%5D=show&tx_p2waxmann_pi2%5Bcontroller%5D=Reihe&cHash=d881a33b31a6da2e1badac51b64291b5
One of her recent project is Second Language Learning for Teenagers at Schools (SLL4Teens) (Erasmus+,11/2023-10/2026) https://eugreenalliance.eu/the-role-of-neurolinguistics-in-foreign-language-learning/.Partners: Angers/Nantes, Parma, Extremadura
João E. Rabaça - University of Evora
João E. Rabaça holds tenure of Associate Professor at Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Technology and coordinates theLabOr-Laboratory of Ornithology an infrastructure of MED – Mediterranean Institute forAgriculture, Environment and Development. His research focused on avian ecology andconservation biology. In recent years, he has used his knowledge on birds’ biology to fosterconsciousness of Nature and sustainability among citizens. Additionally, he has a specialawareness in the spread out of scientific knowledge.

Recent publications:
Mendes, Ana; Martínez Hernández, Lorena; Badoz, Léa; Slobodian, Lydia & Rabaça, João E. Towardsa legal definition of ecological restoration: reviewing international, European and Member States'case law. Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental, 2023, 32(1), pp.3-17https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/reel.12476
Roque, Inês; Lourenço, Rui; Marques, Ana; Martínez-López, Emma; Espín, Silvia; Gómez-Ramirez,Pilar; García-Fernández, Antonio J.; Roulin, Alexandre & Rabaça, João E. A first record ofOrganochlorine Pesticides in Barn Owls (Tyto alba) from Portugal: assessing trends from variationin feather and liver concentrations. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2022,109(3), pp. 436-442 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35871684/
Lourenço, Rui; Pereira, Pedro F.; Oliveira, Amália; Ribeiro-Silva, Joana; Figueiredo, Diogo; Rabaça,João E.; Mira, António & Marques, João T. Effect of vineyard characteristics on the functionaldiversity of insectivorous birds as indicator of potential biocontrol services. Ecological Indicators,2021, 122, pp. 107251 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107251
Jean-Jacques Helesbeux - University of Angers
Jean-Jacques HELESBEUX from the University of Angers. He is an associate professor of organic chemistry at the Faculty of Health Sciences – Pharmacy Department. He’s running his research activities at SONAS, a lab focusing on natural products chemistry and valorization. Jean-Jacques is particularly involved in projects combining natural products extraction-purification (particularly from renewable ressources) and semisynthesis of analogues with expected optimized pharmacological or biological profile and/or improved physico-chemical properties. Thus, depending on the project and the molecular scaffolds, the corresponding derivatives are then evaluated in different domains, as anti-inflammatory agents modulating the arachidonic cascade, anti-tumoral agents or as biocontrol solutions in the field of alternative crop protection through local and european collaborations.

Recent publications:
1) T. Charpentier, G. Viault, A.-M. Le Ray, N. Bataillé-Simoneau, J.-J. Helesbeux, N. Blon, F. Bastide, M. Marchi, S. Aligon, A. Bruguière, C.-P. Dinh, Z. Benbelkacem, J.-F. Dallery, P. Simoneau, P. Richomme, T. Guillemette, Natural products targeting the fungal unfolded protein response as an alternative crop protection strategy, J. Agric. Food Chem., 2023, 71, 13706-13716. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c03602.
2) J. Courtial, J.-J. Helesbeux, H. Oudart, S. Aligon, M. Bahut, B. Hamon, G. N’Guyen, S. Pigné, A. G. Hussain, C. Pascouau, N. Bataillé-Simoneau, J. Collemare, R. Berruyer, P. Poupard, Characterization of NRPS and PKS genes involved in the biosynthesis of SMs in Alternaria dauci including the phytotoxic polyketide aldaulactone. Sci. Rep., 2022, 12, 8155. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11896-0.
3) G. Möller, V. Temml, A. Cala Peralta, O. Gruet, P. Richomme, D. Séraphin, G. Viault, L. Kraus, P. Huber-Cantonati, E. Schopfhauser, J. Pachmayr, J. Tokarz, D. Schuster, J-J. Helesbeux, K. A. Dyar, Analogues of natural chalcones as efficient inhibitors of AKR1C3, Metabolites, 2022, 12, 99. DOI: 10.3390/metabo12020099.
4) K. Neukirch, K. Alsabil, C.-P. Dinh, R. Bilancia, M. Raasch, A. Ville, I. Cerqua, G. Viault, D. Bréard, S. Pace, Veronika Temml, E. Brunner, P. Jordan, M. Marques, K. Loeser, A. Gollowitzer, S. Permann, J. Gerstmeier, S. Lorkowski, H. Stuppner, U. Garscha, T. Rodrigues, G. Bernardes, D. Schuster, D. Séraphin, P. Richomme, A. Rossi, A. Mosig, F. Roviezzo, O. Werz, J.-J. Helesbeux, A. Koeberle, Exploration of long-chain vitamin E metabolites for the discovery of a highly potent, orally effective, and metabolically stable 5‑LOX inhibitor that limits inflammation. J. Med. Chem., 2021, 64, 11496-11526. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00806.
Beatriz Ledesma - University of Extramadura
She is a researcher at the Applied Physics Department of the University of Extremadura (Spain) and member of research group for the comprehensive use of biomass waste and renewable energy. Currently, she works in the use of biomass waste as fuel or as activated carbon precursor, by means of different thermal processes (hydrothermal carbonization, gasification, pyrolysis…), as well as the application of carbon porous materials in adsorption processes both in liquid and gas phases. The research work is complemented with teaching tasks through the direction of final degree projects, seminars or laboratory practices, participation in teaching innovation groups and numerous teacher training courses. She has interests in ethical competencies, project-based learning, development cooperation and education for sustainable development.
M. Alonso, B. Ledesma, S. Román, M. Olivares-Marín. Insights about the formation of secondary char during HTC processes. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy 37 (2024) 101420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2023.101420
Mara Olivares-Marín, Silvia Román, Valentín Gómez Escobar, Celia Moreno González, Alba Chaves-Zapata, Beatriz Ledesma. Thermal performance and sound absorption capability of water hyacinth stems-based materials. Journal of Cleaner Production (2023), DOI:10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138903
M. Boutaieb, S. Román, B. Ledesma, E. Sabio, M. Guiza, A. Ouederni. Towards a more efficient Hydrothermal Carbonization: Processing water recirculation under different conditions. Waste Management Volume 132, 2021, Pages 115-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2021.07.023
Beatriz Ledesma, Eduardo Sabio, Carmen María González-García, Silvia Román, Maria Emilia Fernandez, Pablo Bonelli, Ana L. Cukierman. Batch and Continuous Column Adsorption of p-Nitrophenol onto Activated Carbons with Different Particle Sizes. Processes 2023, 11(7), 2045; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr110720
Aleksandra Bawiec - Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences

Aleksandra Bawiec (ORCID: 0000-0002-9952-7886) is a researcher in the Institute of Environmental Engineering at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Poland) and a task leader in project from Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON) CL6-2021-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-10 - SYMBIOREM (Symbiotic, circular bioremediation systems and biotechnology solutions for improved environmental, economic and social sustainability in pollution control). She also works in the TWIN-Waters project (Digital Tools for Sustainable Water Resources Management: Integrating impact of change of climate, land use, and optimised solutions) - a research and innovation project under Water4All: JOINT TRANSNATIONAL CALL 2022. Her research interests is urban water and wastewater treatment with the use of semi-natural technologies and Nature Based Solutions (NBS) as well as treatment of wastewater with specific composition, including treatment of sewage with high ammonium nitrogen concentration. In the project task she leads, she works with the team members on development of floating islands with submerged active surface for urban water purification as an action against eutrophication. Aleksandra has a keen interest in popularizing science among students of lower-level schools and residents as activities related to citizens involvement in ongoing research projects.
Publications:
Marek K., Pawęska K., Bawiec A. Wastewater management in motor rest area - A review article. Science of the Total Environment, 2023, 889, 1-14. DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164085
Kilian S., Bawiec A., Pawęska K. Floating Islands Supported by LED Lighting: an Ecological Solution of Nutrients Removal from Municipal Wastewater? Water Air and Soil Pollution, 2022, 233, 1-10. DOI:10.1007/s11270-022-05821-4
Bawiec A., Pawęska K., Pulikowski K. LED light use for the improvement of wastewater treatment in the hydroponic system. Environmental Technology, 2020, 41(16), 2024-2036. DOI:10.1080/09593330.2018.1554007
Bawiec A. Efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds removal in hydroponic wastewater treatment plant. Environmental Technology, 2019, 40(16), 2062-2072. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09593330.2018.1436595

To know more go to UPWr Base of Knowledge LINK

Meet a researcher

Maria Assunção Folque - University of Evora

Manja Krüger - Otto von Guericke University

Francesca Bot - University of Parma

Niclas Björsell - University of Gävle

Tomina Saveanu - University of Oradea.

Karina Becker - Otto von Guerick Magdeburg, Germany

João E. Rabaça - University of Evora

Jean-Jacques Helesbeux - University of Angers

Beatriz Ledesma - University of Extramadura

Aleksandra Bawiec - Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences

Communication