Symposium Chair: Dr Victor Manuel Candelario, UP2MEM Project coordinator
Dr Victor Manuel Candelario
Target participants
- PhD candidates
- Postdocs (≤5 years after PhD)
- Early-career academics / industry researchers
Session structure (example)
- Opening + keynote (30–45 min)
- 6–10 oral presentations (10–15 min each)
- Short Q&A after each talk or grouped discussion
- Panel discussion: “Career paths in smart materials research”
- Optional poster session
Symposium Introduction
This Early-Stage Researchers Symposium addresses the urgent need to integrate circular economy principles into advanced membrane technologies for water treatment and food-related industrial applications.
This symposium is dedicated to showcasing the work of PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists working across all areas of materials science and smart materials. It aims to provide a supportive and dynamic platform for emerging researchers to present their latest findings, exchange ideas, and build collaborations within the international materials science community.
This symposium is supported by the UP2MEM project, an EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network. The project focuses on the development of sustainable, high-performance filtration systems through the upcycling of waste materials into functional membrane structures, contributing to resource efficiency and environmental sustainability.
In this context, the symposium provides a platform for early-stage and junior researchers to present their work on innovative approaches to sustainable materials design, advanced membrane fabrication, and industrially relevant separation technologies. A particular emphasis is placed on research that supports the transition toward closed-loop systems, including the recycling of industrial wastewater and the recovery of valuable compounds in the food and process industries.
Beyond its scientific scope, the symposium reflects the broader mission of UP2MEM to strengthen the connection between academia and industry through applied research and training. By fostering interaction between young researchers and industrial partners, it aims to promote an industrially oriented research perspective, enhance transferable skills, and support the development of the next generation of scientists working at the interface of materials science, sustainability, and industrial innovation.
The session is intended to encourage discussion, collaboration, and knowledge exchange, highlighting how cutting-edge membrane technologies can contribute to both scientific advancement and real-world circular economy solutions.
research and scalable, sustainable industrial applications.
