Céline Calvino

Dr. Céline Calvino was born and raised in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. She received her MSc in Chemistry from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where she specialized in organic synthesis, polymer chemistry, and materials science. Her master's thesis was carried out at Asulab, the R&D division of The Swatch Group, and focused on the development of homogeneous and durable surface coatings for watch components through controlled polymerization strategies.

She remained at the University of Fribourg to pursue a PhD in Polymer Chemistry and Materials Science at the Adolphe Merkle Institute under the supervision of Prof. Christoph Weder. Her doctoral research focused on the design of chromogenic systems based on supramolecular interactions and their incorporation into polymeric materials to create functional mechanoresponsive systems.

Following her PhD, she joined the group of Prof. Stuart Rowan at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago as a postdoctoral researcher supported by an SNSF Mobility Fellowship. There, she expanded her expertise in cellulose nanocrystals, dynamic covalent chemistry, and materials engineering. Her research focused on the functionalization of cellulose nanocrystals through dynamic covalent chemistry and the development of melt-processing strategies for mechanically reinforced and sustainable nanocomposite materials.

In 2021, Dr. Calvino was appointed Junior Group Leader and Principal Investigator at the University of Freiburg, Germany, where she established an independent research program in polymer chemistry. Her research focuses on the development of functional and sustainable materials through controlled chemical reactivity, with particular interests in photochemical, thermal, and mechanochemical approaches for programming material behavior and function.