Francisco Vilaplana
KTH Royal Institute of Technology in SwedenTopic:
TBA
www.se.linkedin.com/in/francisco-vilaplana-7154524
Francisco Vilaplana is a Chemical Engineer from the Polytechnical University of Valencia (UPV) and holds a PhD in Polymer Technology from both UPV and KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden). After two postdoctoral stays in The Netherlands and Australia he moved back to Sweden in 2011, where he currently develops his research activities both in the academic and private sectors. He is Full Professor and Head of the Division of Glycoscience at KTH. He leads a research group on plant biochemistry and biotechnology, focused on the structural understanding of plant and fungal polysaccharides and their valorisation into bio-based products for biomaterial and nutritional applications using green chemistry and enzyme technology. During 2021-2023 he was the Chair of the panel “Chemical Engineering, Bioprocess Technology and Environmental Technology” at the Swedish Research Council. He is founding Director of KTH FOOD – a multidisciplinary research centre for a sustainable food system. At the same time, since 2022 he is part-time principal scientist at Oatly, where he leads a research program on plant structure and health. He has published over 120 scientific publications on diverse fields coupled to glycoscience, including plant sciences, bioprocess technology, material sciences, and food technology.