We are very pleased to welcome two new PhD students to CiTOS — or perhaps we should say welcome back, as both Nicolas Leclercq and Cassian Desmons spent the past year with us during their Master’s theses and have now decided to continue their scientific journeys within the lab.

Nicolas Leclercq completed his Master’s degree at the University of Liège, including a one-year internship at CiTOS where he joined the WEL-T team. His previous work focused on the neutralization of active pharmaceutical ingredients in continuous processes, giving him a strong foundation in flow chemistry. As a PhD student, Nicolas will now contribute to the development of photo-flow platforms, with the aim of improving the control and understanding of highly reactive photogenerated intermediates.

Cassian Desmons, who also completed his Master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Liège in 2025, had the opportunity during his thesis to explore the technologies and methodologies used at CiTOS in the context of organic synthesis. Motivated by this experience, he now joins the team as a PhD candidate. His research will focus on continuous-flow gas handling using dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3) and its associated nitrosation chemistry.

We are excited to see both Nicolas and Cassian continue their work with us and look forward to the contributions they will bring to the lab over the coming years. Welcome back to CiTOS!

CiTOS is pleased to announce the arrival of three new members who bring fresh expertise, energy, and perspectives to our expanding research activities in organic synthesis, sustainable chemistry, and continuous-flow technologies.

Elfried Ngassam — Researcher in Organic Synthesis and Flow Chemistry

We are delighted to welcome Elfried, who recently graduated from the University of Liège with a Master’s degree in Chemical Sciences. His academic background includes hands-on work in radiochemistry and organometallic catalysis, giving him strong practical skills in catalyst design and molecular synthesis.
At CiTOS, Elfried joins our research team to contribute to the development of innovative continuous-flow processes and advanced strategies in organic synthesis. We are thrilled to have him on board.

Matteo Lorenzon — PhD Intern in Sustainable Chemistry

We are also pleased to welcome Matteo Lorenzon, a PhD student in Sustainable Chemistry at Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, supervised by Prof. Maurizio Selva and Dr. Davide Rigo. His doctoral research focuses on designing renewable polyesters derived from sugar alcohols, supporting greener pathways in polymer science.
During his internship at CiTOS, Matteo will work on the continuous-flow synthesis of cyclic carbonates and the preparation of diisopropenyl esters, key building blocks for future polymerization strategies. We look forward to seeing his contributions take shape.

Riccardo Giovanelli — Postdoctoral Researcher in Catalysis and Flow Technology

Our third new arrival is Dr. Riccardo Giovanelli, who recently completed his PhD at the Università di Bologna. His research explored transition-metal catalysis, electrochemistry, and CO? valorization, with a strong emphasis on innovative synthetic methodologies.
At CiTOS, Riccardo will tackle new challenges in flow chemistry, including the controlled delivery and management of gaseous HCl in continuous processes—a demanding area where his expertise will be invaluable as we continue advancing sustainable and efficient manufacturing technologies.

Last week, Jean-Christophe Monbaliu and Diana V. Silva-Brenes traveled to Southeast Asia to engage with the region’s vibrant and rapidly growing flow chemistry community. The journey offered a unique blend of scientific exchange, collaboration building, and cultural discovery.

The first stop was Bangkok, where Jean-Christophe and Prof. C. Oliver Kappe were invited speakers at the Special Seminar “Continuous Flow Technologies” hosted by Chulalongkorn University. We extend our warm thanks to Prof. Nopphon (Nop) Weeranoppanant for the generous Thai hospitality and the stimulating discussions that opened doors to new collaborative possibilities. The visit also provided a brief but memorable opportunity to explore some of Bangkok’s cultural highlights.

The trip continued to Kuala Lumpur for Flow Chemistry Asia 2025, where Jean-Christophe delivered a keynote lecture showcasing CiTOS’s latest advances in upgrading biobased building blocks through continuous ammonolysis and nitration platforms—key technologies for sustainable manufacturing of fine chemicals and APIs. Diana also took the stage to present “From Reaction Design to Reactor Choice in Industrial Flow Process Development,” highlighting how FloW4all supports the transition from laboratory innovation to industrial implementation, with examples featuring Corning® and Ehrfeld reactors.

Flow Chemistry Asia served as an inspiring hub to connect with leading researchers and industrial partners across Asia, reinforcing the strong momentum surrounding continuous flow technologies in the region. The warm hospitality, rich cultural diversity, and energetic scientific environment made this trip truly memorable.

This visit further strengthens CiTOS’s commitment to building long-term collaborations with academic and industrial partners in Southeast Asia—partnerships that are essential to accelerating innovation in flow chemistry worldwide.

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.

It was a real pleasure to welcome Prof. Dr. Ngo Quoc Anh, Dr. Tran Quang Hung, and Dr. Nguyen Le Anh from the Institute of Chemistry – Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
During their stay, we exchanged ideas, shared experiences, and explored how flow chemistry can open new perspectives for Vietnam’s chemical industry helping to develop a highly skilled workforce ready for future industrial growth. We also discussed research collaborations, student exchanges, and the future signing of an agreement to strengthen our partnership.
The visit comes at a great time for CiTOS, as we strive to increase the diversity of our teams and embrace scientific talents from every culture. Our warm thanks to the Faculty of Science at ULiege and Dean Gentiane Haesbroeck.
We would also like to acknowledge our partners from Corning, Dung Do Van, and Edwin Sia for making this connection possible.

Last week, Jean-Christophe Monbaliu and Diana Silva had the pleasure of representing CiTOS at Flow Chemistry India 2025 (FCI2025) in Ahmedabad—an event that once again proved to be a vibrant hub for scientific exchange, industrial insight, and meaningful connections.

Jean-Christophe presented our integrated continuous-flow platform for the preparation of nitrofurfural pharmaceuticals, highlighting recent advances and the opportunities that integrated technologies bring to modern synthesis. Diana complemented this perspective by sharing case studies from the FloW4all resource center, demonstrating how a broad range of flow reactors can be leveraged across diverse reaction conditions. Her talk illustrated the practical value of these technologies and their growing relevance for industrial implementation.

Throughout the conference, the strong interest in continuous flow chemistry was unmistakable—from researchers exploring new methodologies to industry partners keen to translate innovation into practice. The combination of inspiring science, constructive business discussions, and warm hospitality made FCI2025 a memorable experience for both of them.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Glostem Events, Dr. Sanjay Bajaj, Tavleen Thakur, and their entire team for the outstanding organization and genuine welcome. It was a joy to reconnect with long-standing collaborators and to form many new connections within the community.

CiTOS recently wrapped up two internships that brought a noticeable boost to our digital tool development efforts thanks to the complementary work of Thomas Brun and Tiana Lorielle Kankindi, both integrated into the same project team led by our PhD researcher Mathilde Croissant.

Thomas, a Master student from ECPM Strasbourg, spent four months diving into the challenges of applying cheminformatics and AI to flow chemistry. His mission: help us bridge the gap between advanced models and everyday experimental practice. He took on this challenge by prototyping a clean, intuitive interface that allows chemists to explore AI predictions without wrestling with code or complex workflows.

In parallel, Tiana, currently in her third year of the MIASHS program at Université Toulouse-Jean Jaurès,  two months tackling a very different but equally practical need in the lab: navigating legal information on regulated substances. Her work resulted in a dedicated GUI that makes it faster for chemists to find the regulatory details they need, instead of digging through scattered documents or lengthy guidelines.

Working side by side, supported by Mathilde, Thomas and Tiana helped us push forward two tools that will eventually sit within the same ecosystem: accessible, clear, and built around the real needs of chemists at the bench.

We’re grateful for the energy and thoughtfulness they brought to the group, and we want to warmly congratulate them on the quality of their work. We look forward to seeing where their paths take them next—and we hope our collaboration has fueled their interest in the interface between chemistry, data, and digital innovation.

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Mariia Hruzd to CiTOS, the Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis at the University of Liège.

Mariia joins our team as a postdoctoral researcher to contribute to the Interreg Poly-DREAM project—Polymers & Technologies to Advance Additive Manufacturing. This ambitious cross-border initiative aims to support SMEs in the Meuse-Rhine region by developing advanced polymer materials and additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, circular economy, and industrial upscaling.

Mariia brings  expertise in organic and organometallic synthesis, catalysis, and depolymerization, with research experience spanning Ukraine and France. With master degrees in both Analytical and Organic Chemistry and experiences at the University of Angers, University of Rennes 1, and University of Strasbourg, Mariia is an excellent addition to the team. At CiTOS, she will focus on the flow synthesis and scale-up of monomers and polymer precursors, reinforcing our contribution to sustainable polymer production within Poly-DREAM.

Welcome aboard, Mariia: we are excited to have you with us!

Claire successfully defended her PhD thesis, New Perspectives Toward the Valorization of Bio-Based Molecules, last Monday! During her five years at CiTOS, she explored the complex chemistry of vicinal diols—key bio-based building blocks—through a multifaceted strategy that combined traditional physical-chemistry methods with modern tools such as machine learning and DFT.

Her energy, determination, and creativity will be greatly missed, and we all wish her the very best in her future career.

We bid farewell to Florian Barbaz, a PhD student in the D-Carbonize MSCA network, who has been an integral part of our team at the Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis.

During his time here, Florian focused on the valorization of biobased glycerol, a waste stream from biodiesel production. Using continuous flow chemistry, he developed scalable methods for key transformations such as hydrochlorination, dechlorination, aminolysis, and oxazolidinone synthesis. His work contributes to more sustainable chemical manufacturing – and exciting publications are on the way.

Florian now continues his PhD with a three-month secondment with our partners at Corning (Avon, France), followed by a stay at the University of Groningen in the group of Prof. Paolo Pescarmona.

We thank him for his excellent work and collaborative spirit, and wish him all the best in the next steps of his journey!