My name is Aitana Zoco and I am originally from Spain. I have a bachelor in chemistry from the University of the Basque Country (Spain) and a master degree in materials science from the Erasmus Mundus SERP+ master from France, Italy and Portugal. 

My doctoral research focuses on bark valorization, particularly on the extraction of antiviral compounds for the development of self-disinfecting materials. Bark extracts have a highly complex chemical composition, but their antiviral activity is likely associated with specific compounds or compound groups within this mixture. Therefore, my research focuses on the chemical characterization and fractionation of these extracts, with the aim of isolating the bioactive compounds and gaining a better understanding of their mechanisms of antiviral action. 

I am working within the Sustainable Technologies research group at the University of Eastern Finland (Joensuu, Finland), and at the Institute of Chemistry and Renewable Resources at BOKU university (Vienna, Austria).

Email: aitana.zoco@uef.fi

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aitanazoco/