Thi Nga Tran is a material scientist from Vietnam. In 2010, she obtained her Bachelor of Science on organic chemistry from Ho Chi Minh City University of Science, Vietnam. In 2013, she got Master of Engineering in Polymer Science and Engineering at Pukyong National University, Republic of Korea. Dr Tran completed her PhD degree in Material Science from Italian Institute of Technology and University of Genoa, Italy, in 2017 under the supervision of Dr Ilker Bayer and Dr Athanassia Athanassiou. Her PhD research focused on the development and characterization of biocomposite films, bioelastomers and biofilaments from renewable plant-based resources for sustainable food packaging and fused deposition modeling 3D printing applications. She has been working for almost ten years on polymer processing, characterization, and their applications. She has a deep knowledge and strong expertise on different polymeric composites fabrication techniques including solvent casting and melt-processing methods such as extrusion and hot compression. She is the co-author of 15 peer-reviewed papers (corresponding author of 6 papers) and the author of one book chapter. She had also coordinated many work packages in several collaborative projects with industrial partner (Lab2share S.R.L, Italy; SK Energy, South Korea).

With the ADMIRE research project entitled ECOSITE, hosted by Dr Maurice Collins at University of Limerick, Dr Tran will develop a novel and sustainable water-based process to compatibilize poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC), a CO₂-derived polymer, and natural biopolymers achieving high performance renewable and low CO₂-foot print biocomposites for food packaging and tissue engineering applications. The versatility of fabrication process will enable the incorporation of active ingredients including low-cost food waste extracts for active food packaging and anti-inflammatory agents for active scaffold applications. The technologies and materials developed will find immediate impact in circular economy and sustainable development, thus contributing to accomplish the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals in the next strategic plan of European Commission.