Maryam Zabihzadeh Khajavi
PhD Student
This work will be done under the supervision of prof. Peter Ragaert, prof. Frank Devlieghere, prof. Nathalie De Geyter, and dr. Anton Nikiforov.
She received an MSc degree in Food Science & Technology at Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. The master thesis was focused on the effect of nanoparticles on the release of plastic additives into the food simulant. After graduation she started working as a research fellow at Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute and Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. In January 2021, she joined the FMFP and RUPT research units as a PhD student.
Maryam’s research interests lie in the field of food packaging materials and their safety issues. Previously, she worked on polymer toughening, development of nanocomposite materials for food applications and migration of packaging components.
Currently, her PhD research relates to the development of antibacterial coatings with controlled release for food packaging applications. Within this context, the plasma polymerization method will be applied to produce the coatings. Using this technique, the antimicrobial agents (in this study, nanoparticles) are directly embedded in the plasma-polymerized matrix growing on a substrate. The effect of the nanoparticle’s distribution on the antibacterial activity of the coating will be evaluated. In the later part, the release of the nanoparticles into the food simulants will be measured to ensure their safe use as food contact materials.
Member of the National Elites Foundation of Iran, Year: 2012-2018
Bachelor's degree with highest Grade Point Average, Year: 2016
First rank in the entrance examination for the master's degree in food science and technology, Year: 2016
Ninth rank in the entrance examination for the master's degree in Food Engineering, Year: 2016
Master's degree with highest Grade Point Average, Year: 2018