Smart & Functional Healthcare Materials (SFHM)

Smart & Functional Healthcare Materials Focus Group brings together researchers from academia, industry, and the early-career community to explore emerging materials and technologies with applications in healthcare and drug delivery.

For 2026–2027, the group will focus on scientific exchange, education, and community engagement through four interactive webinar/vodcast sessions, CRS newsletter articles, social media content, and an early-career video challenge.

The Focus Group aims to highlight innovative healthcare materials, smart and functional material technologies, and their applications in drug delivery and therapeutic development, while creating opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing across the CRS community.

The members of the Focus Group are expected to be paid members of the Controlled Release Society, independent of their membership category.

Access Members-Only Community

Leadership:

Chair
Iris Cristina da Luz Batalha
Associate Professor
University of Bath, UK
Co-Chair
Alessio Malfanti
Associate Professor
University of Padova, Italy
Secretary
Christopher Grigsby
Lecturer
Queen's University Belfast, UK
Treasurer
Juan Luis Paris
Principal Investigator
IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, Spain
Industry Representative/ Communications
Snežana Đorđević
Application Scientist
Tosoh Bioscience, Germany
Academic Representative
Yang Shi
Full Professor/Head of Department of Polymer Therapeutics
RWTH Aachen University Germany
Industry Representative
Aroa Duro Castaño
R&D Director
Curapath, Spain
Trainee Representative
Léo Guilbaud
PhD Student
Universite Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
Trainee Representative
Diego Oviedo Chavez
PhD Student
University of Bath, UK
Advisor
Hélder Santos
Full Professor/Head of Department
University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
Advisor
Maria Jesus Vicent
Scientific Director
Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe (CIPF), Spain