Affiliation: University of Auckland

Dr. Marija Gizdavic-Nikolaidis is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Auckland and an elected Fellow of New Zealand Institute of Chemistry. Her research background is in physical chemistry and she brings 25+ years of experience as researcher, innovator, entrepreneur, and science leader in multidisciplinary, national and international research projects in areas of physical chemistry, biotechnology, materials science and green polymer chemistry, with a focus to link academic research with industry needs. Her main research interests are in production and physical characterisation of conducting polymers, polymer nanocomposites and bioactive compounds using eco-friendly chemistry methods. She received her Bachelor of Chemistry (Hons) in Physical Chemistry from the University of Belgrade in 1995 and PhD in the area of polyaniline-based conducting polymers from the University of Auckland in 2005. In 2007, she was awarded a prestigious New Zealand Foundation for Research and Technology Research Fellowship to develop electrospun bioactive polyaniline based nanofibrous composites for health care applications focused on would care technology. Dr. Gizdavic-Nikolaidis is an inventor of patented antimicrobial polymer technology and she is engaged as an academic within Biocide ToolBox Research programme, the University of Auckland on industrial research projects for developing greener biocides for New Zealand healthcare sector. She has retained an academic role at the University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbia working on the government awarded research projects in developing approaches for the large-scale production of conducting polymer-based nanomaterials for sensors, energy storage, water reuse, food and biomedical applications.