Javier G. Fernandez
Born1981
Cantabria
NationalitySpanish
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Cantabria
Lund University
Alma materUniversity of Barcelona
Academic work
InstitutionsHarvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Singapore University of Technology and Design

Javier G. Fernandez (born 1981 in Cantabria) is a Spanish physicist and bioengineer. He is associate professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. He is known for his work in biomimetic materials and sustainable biomanufacturing, particularly for pioneering chitin's use for general and sustainable manufacturing.

Fernandez is a scientific founder of Chitonous Pte. Ltd., a biomanufacturing company centered on environmental security.[1]

Education

Fernandez received his M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Cantabria and in Nanotechnology from Lund University. Fernandez completed his Ph.D. on biomedical applications of chitin in 2008, which was awarded the best Ph.D. thesis at the University of Barcelona that year.[2]

Career and significant contributions

After his Ph.D., Fernandez joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he worked with Ali Khademhosseini on the development of "Micro-masonry"[3] (also known as "biolegos" or “biological legos”),[4][5] an early example of additive manufacturing of artificial organs and that was considered a breakthrough in the field.[6] In 2010 Fernandez moved to Harvard University as researcher in the early stages of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, where he worked with its founding director, Donald E. Ingber. At the Wyss Institute, Fernandez developed the use of bioinspired engineering to integrate structural biomolecules in high-performance and sustainable applications.[7][8] This work included the development of Shrilk,[9][10] a biomimetic and fully biological material replicating the insects' exoskeleton's mechanical properties by using its native organization and components (i.e., chitin and fibroin).[11][12] He later demonstrated the extension Shrilk's manufacturing approach to enable the general use of chitosan in product manufacturing,[13][14] a material often referred to as "shrimp plastic"[15][16] due to the common sourcing of chitosan from discarded shrimp shells. Shrilk and the concept of bioinspired materials using unmodified biomolecules are regarded as having the potential to produce a global paradigm change towards sustainable manufacturing.[17][18][19]

In 2015 he was hired again by MIT as an associate professor and member of the Singapore University of Technology and Design(SUTD).[20][21] At SUTD Fernandez developed the Fungus-Like Adhesive Materials (FLAM),[22][23] the first example of large-scale 3D printing using unmodified chitin and cellulose.[24][25] With a focus on low cost and manufacturability, FLAM enabled the industrial production of 3D-printed large biological objects,[26][27] bringing the field of bioinspired manufacturing to an industrially relevant level.[28] He also demonstrated the integration of FLAM and bioinspired manufacturing with ecological cycles and urban waste management.[29][30] Fernandez’s approach to manufacturing based on unmodified biomolecules and their integration within ecological cycles, in addition to being a critical factor for sustainable development, has been demonstrated to be an essential aspect of long-term extraplanetary colonization.[31][32][33]

Honors and awards

References

  1. ↑ Peels, Joris (2019-11-14). "Exclusive Interview: Chitonous Hopes to Use Ubiquitous Biological Polymers for Manufacturing". 3DPrint.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  2. ↑ UB. "Javier Gómez wins the XIV Premi del Claustre de Doctors to the best Ph.D Thesis – Universitat de Barcelona". www.ub.edu (in Catalan). Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  3. ↑ Fernandez, Javier G.; Khademhosseini, Ali (2010-05-03). "Micro-Masonry: Construction of 3D Structures by Microscale Self-Assembly". Advanced Materials. 22 (23): 2538–2541. doi:10.1002/adma.200903893. PMC 2957829. PMID 20440697.
  4. ↑ "'Human Lego' may one day build artificial organs". New Scientist. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  5. ↑ Schott, Ben (2010-05-20). "Micromasonry & Biological Lego". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  6. ↑ Moore, Elizabeth Armstrong. "Breakthrough in tissue engineering: 'Bio-Legos'". CNET. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  7. ↑ "Replacing Plastic: The Merits of Shrilk | Interview with Javier G. Fernández". WGBH – Forum Network. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  8. ↑ "Promising solution to plastic pollution". Harvard Gazette. 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  9. ↑ Fernandez, Javier G.; Ingber, Donald E. (2012-01-24). "Unexpected Strength and Toughness in Chitosan-Fibroin Laminates Inspired by Insect Cuticle". Advanced Materials. 24 (4): 480–484. doi:10.1002/adma.201104051. PMID 22162193. S2CID 205243157.
  10. ↑ "Your Next Suture Could Be Made of Shrilk, a Superstrong Synthetic Insectoid Material". Popular Science. 2011-12-20. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  11. ↑ Leopold, Todd (2014-06-16). "Shrimp-based invention new step in plastic | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  12. ↑ Adee, Sally. "Wonder stuff: Shrimp plus spider kills plastic". New Scientist. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  13. ↑ Fernandez, Javier G.; Ingber, Donald E. (August 2014). "Manufacturing of Large-Scale Functional Objects Using Biodegradable Chitosan Bioplastic". Macromolecular Materials and Engineering. 299 (8): 932–938. doi:10.1002/mame.201300426.
  14. ↑ "Nature Has A Promising Replacement For Hormone-Scrambling Plastics: Shrimp Shells". HuffPost. 2014-03-15. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  15. ↑ "Turning shrimp shells into plastic". ZDNET. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  16. ↑ "Making Plastic Out of Shrimp Shells". www.science.org. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  17. ↑ "Five wonder materials that could change the world". The Guardian. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  18. ↑ Nidhi, Subbaraman (2012-11-20). "Insect-inspired Material That Could Solve Our Plastic Problem". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  19. ↑ "Biomimicry unleashes wave of materials innovation". Financial Times. 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  20. ↑ "The Spanish inventor of Shrilk, the plastic of the future, moves to Singapore". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  21. ↑ "MIT signs formal agreement with Singapore University of Technology and Design". MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  22. ↑ "FLAM! Researchers Test Cellulose as Sustainable 3D-Printing Material". Tech Briefs. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  23. ↑ Sanandiya, Naresh D.; Vijay, Yadunund; Dimopoulou, Marina; Dritsas, Stylianos; Fernandez, Javier G. (2018-06-05). "Large-scale additive manufacturing with bioinspired cellulosic materials". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 8642. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-26985-2. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5988822. PMID 29872156.
  24. ↑ Scott, Clare (2018-06-06). "Researchers 3D Print Large-Scale Objects with Newly Developed Type of Cellulose". 3DPrint.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  25. ↑ "FLAM points 3D printing in a new, sustainable direction". Bioplastics (Magazine). Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  26. ↑ "Cellulose used to fabricate large 3D objects". The Engineer. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  27. ↑ "Scientists sustainably 3D print large objects out of cellulose". United Press International. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  28. ↑ "The Significance of Completely Biodegradable 3D-Printed Plastic". Engineering.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  29. ↑ Sanandiya, Naresh D.; Ottenheim, Christoph; Phua, Jun Wei; Caligiani, Augusta; Dritsas, Stylianos; Fernandez, Javier G. (2020-03-13). "Circular manufacturing of chitinous bio-composites via bioconversion of urban refuse". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 4632. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-61664-1. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7070007. PMID 32170094.
  30. ↑ Sertoglu, Kubi (2020-04-01). "Singaporean research details the 3D printing of chitinous bio-composites". 3D Printing Industry. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  31. ↑ Shiwei, Ng; Dritsas, Stylianos; Fernandez, Javier G. (2020-09-16). "Martian biolith: A bioinspired regolith composite for closed-loop extraterrestrial manufacturing". PLOS ONE. 15 (9): e0238606. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0238606. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 7494075. PMID 32936806.
  32. ↑ Hunt, Katie (2020-09-16). "This is how we should build on Mars, scientists say". CNN. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  33. ↑ Technica, Jennifer Ouellette, Ars. "Scientists May Have Found a Material for Building on Mars". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-11-25.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ↑ "The winners of the Bayer Early Excellence in Science Award 2013 have been announced". Wiley Analytical Science. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  35. ↑ "Outstanding Scientists Award Winners". Bayer Foundation. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  36. ↑ "Innovators Under 35 | Javier Gomez Fernandez". MIT TR35 – Innovators Under 35. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  37. ↑ Meet The Innovators Under 35 (2016) – Javier Gomez Fernandez, retrieved 2022-11-25
  38. ↑ "Javier Fernandez: Shrilk". LAUNCH. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  39. ↑ "Challenge: Closing the Loop". LAUNCH. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  40. ↑ "FormNext Purmundus Innovation Award". www.purmundus-challenge.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  41. ↑ "Shrilk and the revolution of the bioinspired materials –". Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  42. ↑ Competition, A' Design Award &. "Natural Composite Pillar Research Prototype by Stylianos Dritsas and Javier Fernandez". competition.adesignaward.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  43. ↑ "Natural Composite Pillar –". Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  44. ↑ "Additive Manufacturing for Biological Composites [Natural Composite Pillar]". Good Design Award. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
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