Nicolas Schaeffer: advancing sustainability-focused research
Nicolas Schaeffer is an Assistant Researcher in the Path Research Group at CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials in Portugal, with a background in chemical engineering and physical chemistry. His research focuses on developing innovative solvents for hydrometallurgy, particularly liquid–liquid separation of metal ions, with applications in resource recovery and sustainability.
In 2023, he was awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant called 'DESignSX’ to advance his work on hydrophobic eutectic solvents for green recycling technologies.
Through the NEPHEWS Twinning Programme, Nicolas had the opportunity to explore the capabilities of ILL’s small-angle diffractometer D22.
He admitted that these “big instruments” once felt intimidating from the outside, but the twinning experience gave him the chance to demystify the processes.
He’s now in capacity to start designing neutron experiments himself and, with guidance, to apply for beamtime – a key step towards integrating neutrons into his research.
We are looking forward to welcoming him again at the ILL!
Watch the video on ILL’s LinkedIn.
Author: ILL Team