Nationality: Chinese
Undergraduate Institution: Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT)
Master Institution: École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Graduate Institution: École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Email:  h.du1@tue.nl
Office: HEO 4.44

I studied polymer materials and engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT, China) for the bachelor degree. In 2013, I moved to EPFL, Switzerland to pursue the master and PhD studies in materials science. In December 2019, I obtained my PhD degree under the supervision of Prof. Esther Amstad with the thesis entitled “Water: its influence on the formation and crystallization of amorphous calcium carbonate”. After the unexpected delays caused by the COVID-19 and the subsequent Presidential Proclamation 10043, I finally started my SNSF Early Postdoc. Mobility Fellowship as a visiting postdoc in the Laboratory of Applied Mechanobiology of Prof. Viola Vogel at ETH Zurich with a remote supervision of Prof. Samuel Stupp at Northwestern University in March 2021. In September 2021, I moved to the group of Prof. E. W. Meijer as his joint postdoc with Prof. Stupp. In February 2023, I was awarded the second SNSF Postdoc. Mobility Fellowship to extend my postdoc training with Prof. Meijer and Prof. Stupp. My research expertise gained during the PhD training includes microfluidics, biomineralization and bio-inspired nanocomposites. Currently, I am particularly interested in (1) the fundamental thermodynamics and kinetics of supramolecular polymerization, (2) the dynamics of supramolecular polymers and its influence on the bioactivity, and (3) the asymmetric amplification within the hierarchical supramolecular assemblies.