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Staff Profile

Dr Katarina Novakovic

Reader in Polymer Engineering

  • Email: katarina.novakovic@ncl.ac.uk
  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 3683
  • Fax: +44 (0) 191 208 5748
  • Address: School of Engineering
    Merz Court
    Newcastle University
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE1 7RU
Background

Areas of expertise


·        Oscillatory chemical reactions – non aqueous oscillatory reactions employing range of substrates and catalysts from small molecules to polymeric materials; experimental and modelling studies;

o   oscillatory carbonylation processes, Bruk Temkin – Gorodsky Novakovic (BT-GN) reactions

o   oscillatory carbonylation processes employing polymeric substrates and polymeric catalysts;

o   biocompatible pulsatile/oscillatory hydrogels fit for periodic drug dosing

 

·        Intelligent hydrogels and engineered polymeric materials for medical applications

o   Smart hydrogels

o   Biocompatible hydrogels and hydrogel based composites in drug delivery systems

o   Biocompatible hydrogel composites for tissue engineering

o   Injectable/implantable hydrogels fit for non-invasive monitoring in vivo

 

·        Sustainable use of polymer based materials:

o   Thermoplastic, thermosets and elastomers in circular economy

 

·        Reaction engineering

o   Reaction system characterisation - experimental and modelling studies

o   High throughput technologies – process development employing robotic platform for parallel experimentation


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Research

Key research awards:

2021-2023 EPSRC Adventurous Manufacturing

2016-2019 EPSRC Healthcare Technologies Impact Fellowship

2012-2014 EPSRC Developing Leaders Fellowship

2009-2014 EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellowship

Novakovic group is contributing to the area of nonlinear dynamics in chemical systems, and in particular oscillatory carbonylation reactions named after the core contributors Bruk Temkin – Gorodsky Novakovic (BT-GN) reactions. Oscillatory chemical reactions (OCRs) are processes in which the concentration of one or more components is changing periodically, e.g. pH is periodically increasing and deceasing. Notoriously complex, OCRs connect chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics and engineering in an exciting way that only nature can do. This area is linked with the origin of life; rhythms in our body; Turing’s morphogenesis; animal coat patterns (e.g. zebras); quorum sensing in bacteria; hexagonal rock formations; chemical computers; and more. Widely found in nature, only a handful of OCRs are achieved in the laboratory. Novakovic group leads research on oscillatory carbonylation processes, the only example of OCRs forming more complex products from simple starting materials under lab conditions. Key findings include the discovery of the first polymeric substrate yielding oscillatory pH reactions under lab conditions; linking smart polymers with BT-GN reactions; and first biocompatible pulsatile/oscillatory hydrogel fit for periodic drug dosing, which opened previously unimaginable avenues in mechanoresponsive tissue engineering and chronopharmacotherapy.

Novakovic group also works on intelligent hydrogels and engineered polymeric materials for medical applications. Group is advancing injectable/implantable hydrogels where we formulated materials fit for non-invasive monitoring of biodegradation and material migration in vivo; drug delivery systems and novel pharmaceutical formulations where we seek to provide individualised patient tailored solutions; and hydrogel based composite materials for tissue engineering application including bioglass-hydrogel composites.

Another important stream of our research is the sustainable use of plastic where we actively seek sustainable solution for preventing and managing plastic waste.

Teaching


ENG1006 Properties and Behaviour of Engineering Materials;

CME2027 Process Development Science and Analysis;

CME3036 Process and Product Engineering;

CME3039 Plant Design (Design Project);

CME8120  Advanced Design;

CME8117 MEng Research Project.

Publications