Research Aura Visan

Research team

Expertise

Aura Visan holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Twente, where she investigated catalytically induced flows and transport phenomena to overcome mass transfer limitations in heterogeneous catalysis. Her research combined fluid dynamics modeling, reactor design, cleanroom fabrication, and advanced analytical techniques to study photocatalysis and biomass conversion. In her professional career, she has focused on circular economy solutions for plastics and mineral resources, with a track record in technology development, scale-up, due diligence, and innovation management. At Indaver Plastics2Chemicals, she led R&D on plastic waste pyrolysis and pyrolysis oil upgrading, managing the scale-up of pyrolysis technology to an industrial plant and building partnerships with technology providers and petrochemical companies. At Sibelco, she initiated projects in solar panel recycling, composite recycling, bioprocessing, and secondary cementitious materials, including technology and value chain assessments. In her current role as Valorization Manager, she has gained experience in acquiring public funding and securing corporate partnerships, guiding spin-off initiatives, and assessing IP opportunities to translate R&D outcomes into scalable industrial or commercial applications. Her current role includes strategic oversight of innovation pipelines and ensuring research outputs have clear market or societal relevance. Bridging fundamental research, industrial deployment, and strategic valorization, Aura combines a strong scientific foundation in catalysis, separation, and reactor design with extensive experience in process scale-up, technology partnerships, and knowledge transfer, positioning her at the interface of R&D, business strategy, and sustainability-driven innovation.