Sensors for food freshness and pesticides

Aleksandra Lobnik received her PhD in 1998 from the Institute of Organic Analytical Chemistry at Graz University, Austria. Following this, she pursued her postdoctoral education at the same university. Since 2009 she has been employed as a full professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maribor, where she teaches chemistry, analytical chemistry, and nanomaterials courses. Prof. Lobnik’s research focuses on the development of novel materials, such as nanomaterials, biomaterials, and sol-gels, for use in advanced optical, chemical, and bio-sensors for various applications. These applications include personal protection and security, smart textiles, environmental protection, and the fields of food and medicine. In 2006, she co-founded a spinoff company called IOS Ltd. Prof. Lobnik has authored 35 patents/patent applications and 280 scientific and conference papers. She has delivered over 30 invited lectures, authored/co-authored f ive scientific monographs and seven scientific chapters, mentored 46 BA, MA, and ten doctoral students, and several postdoc students and has participated in over 50 national and international research projects. Prof. Lobnik actively promotes science and is regularly invited to speak on a variety of topics, including sensors, nano-sciences, innovation, and knowledge transfer, to both experts and the public. In 2015 she lectured at TEDx in CERN on the topic of sensors. In 2021, Prof. Lobnik became the fourth female member of the Slovenian Academy of Engineering, joining 64 male colleagues.