Dr Laura Angelica Ardila-Rodriguez is a materials engineer and interdisciplinary researcher with a strong international track record combining high‑level academic research, advanced materials engineering, and experience in industrial and sustainability‑driven environments. She is currently based in Manresa, Barcelona, where she conducts her research at Eurecat – Technology Centre of Catalonia as a Marie Skłodowska‑Curie COFUND AuSpire Fellow.

Laura holds a PhD in Engineering and Materials Science from the Federal University of São Paulo (Brazil) and has an academic background in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Processing from the National University of Colombia. Her research profile is rooted in a deep understanding of the relationships between material structure, processing routes, properties and performance, with a strong applied orientation towards advanced manufacturing and industrial relevance.

Alongside her academic career, Laura has developed professional experience in sustainability and regulated industrial contexts, working as an LCA Consultant at NIBE – Experts in Sustainability and as a Technical Project Coordinator at the certified laboratory Kiwa BDA in The Netherlands. Through these roles, she contributed to life cycle assessment, product validation and compliance with European standards, strengthening her ability to integrate environmental performance, regulatory frameworks and quality assurance into technological development.

Prior to joining Eurecat, Laura was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) within the Structural Integrity & Composites group of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering. There, she worked on cutting‑edge research related to the repair of composite aircraft structures using additive manufacturing, with a focus on surface treatments, adhesive bonding and long‑term durability. She also held a postdoctoral position at the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) in Brazil, within the Plasmas and Processes Laboratory, consolidating her expertise in surface engineering and functional coatings.

Her research focuses on advanced materials and processing technologies, including additive manufacturing L-PBF, laser surface treatments, advanced coatings, metal matrix composites with nano‑reinforcements, and deposition techniques such as PVD and CVD. She has extensive experience in advanced characterization techniques (SEM, XRD, AFM, Raman, XPS, thermal analysis, mechanical and tribological testing), applying rigorous experimental methodologies in both academic and industrial contexts.

Laura is the author of numerous peer‑reviewed publications in high‑impact international journals, book chapters and conference contributions in the fields of adhesion, surface engineering, nanocomposites and functional materials. Her academic excellence has been recognized through competitive international fellowships, including doctoral and postdoctoral funding from CAPES (Brazil) and, currently, the Marie Skłodowska‑Curie COFUND AuSpire Fellowship.

Having lived and worked in Colombia, Brazil, The Netherlands and Spain, Laura brings a strong international and intercultural perspective to her research. Her profile positions her as an effective bridge between academia, industry and sustainability‑driven innovation, contributing to the development of advanced, validated and socially responsible technological solutions aligned with European research priorities.