CiTOS is pleased to welcome Grecia Y. Geigel Rodríguez, a doctoral researcher from Puerto Rico who has earned one of the highly selective Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) fellowships. Awarded to only ten students across the United States each year, this distinction will allow her to spend 12 months at CiTOS advancing her work in sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Grecia is a PhD student at the University of Puerto Rico’s School of Pharmacy and a researcher at the UPR Molecular Center. Her work focuses on developing greener, more efficient methods for producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). She has been studying the continuous-flow synthesis of indomethacin using eco-friendly solvents and exploring how continuous crystallization can make drug manufacturing faster, cleaner, and more economical. These innovations hold strong potential for reducing environmental impact and improving the competitiveness of pharmaceutical production in Puerto Rico.
During her year at CiTOS, Grecia will work under the supervision of Dr. Diana Silva Brenes and Prof. Jean-Christophe Monbaliu, deepening her expertise in flow chemistry and continuous manufacturing technologies. She aims to apply this knowledge to help modernize pharmaceutical processes in her home country, where manufacturing costs and long, multi-stage production routes remain major challenges.
This visit marks her second research experience at CiTOS, following a previous internship that shaped her commitment to advancing sustainable pharmaceutical technologies. We are delighted to welcome her back and look forward to supporting her work throughout the coming year.