07/09/2026
🎓 PhD in Textile Engineering Successfully Completed
On September 4th, 2026, Liliana Sofia Silva Ferreira Pinto Melro successfully defended her PhD in Textile Engineering at the Universidade do Minho, with the thesis “Development of antimicrobial coated bacterial nanocellulose-based hernia mesh devices for postoperative infection prevention.”
Her research focused on the development of functionalized bacterial nanocellulose as a sustainable and biocompatible alternative to conventional synthetic hernia meshes. By exploring different functionalization strategies incorporating biological agents and metal-based nano- and microparticles, the work contributes to the development of multifunctional meshes combining antimicrobial activity with suitable mechanical and biological performance, with the ultimate goal of reducing postoperative infections and other complications associated with conventional hernia repair devices.
The PhD was supervised by Professor Dr. Andrea Zille and Dr. Jorge Padrão (both from 2C2T, University of Minho).
The examination committee was chaired by Professor Dr. Raúl Fangueiro (Department of Textile Engineering, University of Minho) and included Dr. Pablo Sánchez (Chemical Engineering Department, University of Vigo), Dr. Carmen Barros (CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro), Dr. Margarida Fernandes (CMEMS, University of Minho), and Dr. Jorge Padrão.
2C2T congratulates Dr. Liliana Melro on her successful PhD defence and on her valuable scientific contributions towards the development of innovative, sustainable, and multifunctional biomaterials for hernia repair and postoperative infection prevention.
👉 Read more: https://2c2t.uminho.pt/phd-in-textile-engineering-successfully-completed-4/ w
