User:Raisaela90/sandbox

Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela
Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela is a Chemical Engineer and a Researcher. She is a citizen of Equatorial Guinea who was born in Madrid, Spain, on the 9th of November of 1990. Dr. Andeme Ela completed a Postdoctoral Associate position in the Department of BioProducts and BioSystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota in January 2024. Prior to this, she was a Postdoctoral Associate in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Sustainable Polymers (CSP) in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota (2021-2023). She is also the founder and CEO of RAI STARALLA™️. Dr. Andeme Ela is a multi-disciplinary researcher passionate about consolidating innovative science and advanced characterization techniques to tackle energy, chemical, and environmental issues, by designing sustainable nano-materials and substances that enable the efficient transformation of waste plastics, rubber and non-edible plants into renewable fuels, chemicals and materials. Dr. Ela has received various awards for her research, and positive involvement with the community. Dr. Andeme Ela was selected as a 2022-2023 Mistletoe Research Fellow, in 2021 she was recognized as a Rising Star in Chemical Engineering by the distinguished Department of Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and in 2023, she received the Diversity, Equity, Action and Service (IDEAS) Award, from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, at the University of Minnesota.

Early Life and Education
Andeme Ela was born in Madrid Spain at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, to Pedro Ela Nguema Buna and Juana Magdalena Obono Sima Oyana, during the diplomatic mission of her parents. Her father is currently the ambassador of Equatorial Guinea to South Africa. She completed her primary education at the Colegio Adventista de Malabo, and her secondary education at S.A. College Private School, in Pretoria where she graduated as the Head Girl Prefect and the Valedictorian Student. Andeme Ela then proceeded to the University of Pretoria to commence her B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering. She transferred to the University of New Mexico, USA, and there, she completed her B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a concentration in chemical processes, and a M.S. in Chemical Engineering. As a graduate student at the University of New Mexico she conducted research in the areas of electrochemical engineering, bio-molecular engineering, and nanotechnology and nano-medicine (silica nanoparticle design for cancer drug delivery). Continually, she attended Michigan Technological University, and completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, under the supervision of Prof. Rebecca G. Ong. The central tenet of her Ph.D. thesis was the design of innovative, eco-friendly and effective wood preservatives from black liquor, the by product from the pulp and paper industry. Her thesis was distinguished by the synthesis of double-shelled lignin nanoparticles possessing a higher surface area, enhanced stability and biocidal efficacy.

Research and Career
Upon completing her doctoral education, Dr. Andeme Ela was awarded the NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers Fellowship, and worked as a postdoctoral associate in the Dauenhauer Group for Sustainable Catalysis, Reaction Engineering and Materials Detection, in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota, under the supervision of Prof. Paul J. Dauenhauer. The work se conducted in the Dauenhauer Group consisted of designing efficient catalysts (fast, sustainable, and durable) for the conversion of biomass derived tetrahydrofuran to renewable butadiene, the primary monomer employed in the synthesis of polymeric rubbers and elastomers. The impact of her work was highlighted in 2022 by the Catalysis and Reaction Engineering (CRE) section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the research article was included in the “Hot Article 2023” collection, of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Green Chemistry Journal. Being considered an impactful and relatable professional, her professional career and personal journey have been featured in national magazines, Voyage Minnesota, and Bold Journey.

Select Awards and Honors

 * 2010 National Oil Company of Equatorial Guinea (GePetrol), Undergraduate Scholarship
 * 2019 Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, External Advisory Board Poster Competition, 2nd Place
 * 2021 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chemical Engineering Rising Star Honoree
 * 2022 Momental Foundation, Mistletoe Research Fellowship
 * 2023 Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesot a, Diversity, Equity, Action and Service (IDEAS) Award
 * 2024 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Online Poster Competition, Catalysis, 2nd Place

Select Publications
1.      Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela, Lauren Spahn, Niloofar Safaie, Robert Charles Ferrier, Jr., Rebecca G. Ong. Understanding The Effect of Precipitation Process Variables on Hardwood Lignin Characteristics and Recovery from Black Liquor. ACS Sus. Chem. Eng., 2020, 8(37). DOI 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c03692.

2.      Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela, Saad Raza, Patricia Heiden, Josh Vermaas, Rebecca G. Ong''. Lignin Nanoparticle Morphology on Polymer Depends on Polymer Chemical Properties and Solvent Composition: An Experimental and Computational Study.'' ACS Appl. Polym. Mater., 2022, 4(10). DOI 10.1021/acsapm.2c00854.

3.      Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela, Jorge Barroso, Gaurav Kumar, Kaivalya Gawande, Manish Shetty, Xinyu Li, Wei Fan, Bess Vlaisavljevich, Paul J. Dauenhauer''. Sulfurous Zeosils for Dehydra-Declyzation of Tetrahydrofuran to Renewable Butadiene.'' RSC Green Chem., 2024, 26. DOI 10.1039/d3gc03090c. Article selected in ‘Hot Articles’ Collection.

4.      Raisa Carmen Andeme Ela, Patricia Heiden. The Next Generation of Lignin Smart Nanoparticles for Resource Recovery from Wastewater. ACS Sustainable Resource Management, 2024. DOI 10.1021/acssusresmgt.3c00051.Graphic selected as Journal Front Cover Image.