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Search for Assistant Professor, Process Intensification: Joana Ferreira
The Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry is pleased to host a special research and teaching seminar by Joana Ferreira on Tuesday, March 3rd & Wednesday March 4th in WB-215 and/or virtually on teams. Please see the full details below:
Research Seminar: March 3rd at 10:30 am (WB-215 or on MS Teams)
Title: Process Intensification for (Bio)molecule Manufacturing and Separation
Abstract: Biopharmaceuticals—including monoclonal antibodies, gene therapy, and other emerging modalities—represent one of the fastest-growing and most clinically impactful areas of medicine. Yet their manufacturing, purification, and formulation remain costly and resource-intensive. Traditional downstream purification methods, such as chromatography, are robust but offer limited throughput and high operational costs, while formulation strategies for biologics remain constrained by instability, aggregation, or poor control over release profiles. Simultaneously, advances in soft-matter engineering—from hydrogels to colloidal particles—offer promising platforms for controlled delivery, stabilization, and targeted transport of these therapeutics. Addressing these challenges requires integrating molecular-level understanding with process-scale innovation.
Joining Virtually?
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/26898464900413?p=NCfum2tHImTPJJ3J2z
Meeting ID: 268 984 649 004 13
Passcode: sk2qn6bP
Dial in by phone
+1 647-794-1609,,954401038# Canada, Toronto
Phone conference ID: 954 401 038#
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Teaching Seminar: March 4th at 10:00 am (WB-215 or on MS Teams)
Title: Transport Phenomena – Bernoulli Equation
Joining Virtually?
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/22770345564258?p=01gaiT89YoOR8jcRD6
Meeting ID: 227 703 455 642 58
Passcode: VN9gn9YA
Dial in by phone
+1 647-794-1609,,837456722# Canada, Toronto
Phone conference ID: 837 456 722#
For organizers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:
Joana Ferreira is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she works with both the Doyle Research Group in Soft Matter Engineering and the Myerson Research Group.
In the Doyle Research Group, her research focuses on the development of novel injectable hydrogel microparticles to enable the delivery of biomacromolecules. Her work includes co-formulation strategies for high-dose subcutaneous delivery of monoclonal antibodies using microfluidics. She applies a broad range of characterization techniques, including microrheology; advanced microscopy and spectroscopy such as confocal Raman and atomic force microscopy (AFM); biophysical and functional analyses (DSF, DSC, CD); and in vivo studies, including live-cell imaging and pharmacokinetics.
Within the Myerson Research Group, Dr. Ferreira investigates crystallization and precipitation as novel downstream purification strategies for biomacromolecules. Her research includes continuous crystallization of therapeutic full-length monoclonal antibodies, incorporating in-line analysis, automation, and AI-based image analysis tools. She also studies crystallization and precipitation states and kinetics to support process control optimization. Her expertise spans structural characterization techniques such as X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM; advanced microscopy and imaging (SEM and TEM); and analytical and separation methods including TFF, HPLC, and SDS-PAGE.
Dr. Ferreira has received several distinctions for her research, including an Outstanding Talk Award at the 18th International Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules (Tempe, AZ, 2024). Her work has also been featured on the cover of CrystEngComm (22(28), 2020). She has received travel awards to attend international conferences and schools on biological crystallization in Shanghai (2018) and Granada (2017).