Affiliation: University of Cologne
Keywords: • Aerogels, Bio-inspired materials, Hybrid nanomaterials, Biopolymer-based hydrogels and aerogels, Bone tissue engineering, Cancer therapy, Theragenerative materials.
Full profile: PD. Dr. Hajar Maleki is a research group leader at the Institute of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry, University of Cologne (UoC), Cologne, Germany, and an associated research group leader at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC). Her research focuses on the development of bio-inspired porous materials, particularly aerogels for biomedical, environmental, and energy-related applications.
She began her scientific career as a recipient of the prestigious Marie Curie Ph.D. Fellowship at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, where she developed hybrid aerogels for aerospace insulation. She continued as a Lise Meitner Fellow in Austria, where she pioneered the development of silk fibroin-based aerogels (AeroSF)—ultralight, flexible biopolymer-based materials suitable for biomedical applications.
Since starting her habilitation in Germany in 2019, Dr. Maleki has established an independent research line on biomimetic aerogels as artificial extracellular matrices for bone tissue regeneration. Her group has developed smart, multifunctional aerogel scaffolds with improved mechanical properties, osteogenic potential, and therapeutic functionalities such as antibacterial and anticancer effects. These innovations integrate surface chemistry engineering, 3D processing (including freeze-casting and printing), and hybrid nanomaterials.
In addition to biomedical materials, her team also develops:
- Wearable soft electronics such as piezoresistive sensors
- Thermal insulating aerogels for energy applications
- Functional aerogel sorbents for environmental remediation
- Hybrid photocatalysts for solar hydrogen generation
She leads a dynamic interdisciplinary group and has mentored over 30 students and early-career researchers, including Ph.D. candidates and postdocs. Her contributions to the field have been recognized through several competitive honors and fellowships, including:
- Marie Curie Ph.D. Fellowship
- FWF Lise Meitner Postdoctoral Fellowship
- German Research Foundation (DFG) Research Grants
- ACS Materials Au Rising Star in Materials Science (2023)
- Top 2% Most Influential Scientists Worldwide in Nanoscience & Materials Chemistry (2022–2024, Stanford University/Elsevier)
- Career Advancement Group Awardee of Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (2024)
She has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and delivered 30+ invited/keynote talks, and serves on editorial boards of Scientific Reports, Smart Materials and Methods, and Frontiers in Biomaterials Science. She is also a Fellow of the Young Academy of Europe (FYAE) and acting as a Key Opinion Leader at Fibrothelium GmbH.