Professor Stefan Bon

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick

Scientific Background

Research Interests

Stefan Bon is a professor at the University of Warwick in Polymer and Colloid Chemical Engineering. Originally from the Netherlands, educated at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), he joined Warwick Chemistry in spring 1998. His research team, BonLab, works at the forefront of polymer and colloid science, by blending chemistry, with soft matter physics, and chemical engineering. The team is working with a variety of multinational industrial players to innovate in science, often using a green and sustainable approach.

The BonLab's research themes are: environmentally sustainable liquid formulations (inks, coatings, adhesives, personal care and agricultural formulations), a mechanistic understanding of polymer and colloid science, supracolloidal metamaterials (Reconfigurable Nanoscale Optical and Mechanical Metamaterials [ReNOMMs]), and dynamic materials (programmable, reconfigurable, recyclable). This involves: the chemistry and physics of colloidal systems in which molecular and/or colloidal entities can be assembled into more complex supracolloidal structures, with the aim to produce innovative advanced, and importantly sustainable, materials, and the synthesis of particles and macromolecules with a design tailored to provide function, for example degradability, or responsive photonic behavior. We find it important that our technologies can be scaled-up and are of use in a variety of industrial applications ranging from sensors and devices, coatings and adhesives, to food, personal care, agricultural and biological systems.

Research Groups

BonLab

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Enthusiastic, detail-oriented, collaborative.

Provision of Training

The most important thing for me is to get the best out of you and support you so you can grow and flourish as an excellent scientist. From the beginning, we will nurture you and together devise a strategy to support your studies. We will make you feel welcome and part of the team.

Progression Monitoring and Management

I like to be kept up to date and think along to provide support. Informally, this will be done on a daily, ad hoc basis. We will have weekly group meetings for quick progress overviews, plus more in-depth 1-hour discussion sessions to develop ideas and analyse data. I expect you to organise your findings in draft manuscripts/thesis chapters.

Communication

The team has a Slack channel for direct/immediate communication about what's going on in the lab and around it (the latter includes optional work-related social events). I value direct communication and will support you throughout your studies to make sure you are enjoying the ride and that we can achieve your career goals together.

Meetings

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me at least once per week. These meetings will be face-to-face. I am usually contactable for an instant response on every working day.

Work Patterns

Work in my lab requires being present on site (be it in a laboratory or at a field site) during the core hours of 09:00 - 17:00 (or a subset if working part time).

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 1 week's notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5,000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

Precision Engineering of Emulgels for Controlled Nutrient Delivery in Sustainable Agriculture

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Precision Engineering of Emulgels for Controlled Nutrient Delivery in Sustainable Agriculture

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Joe Webber, Professor Tom Montenegro-Johnson

University of Registration: University of Warwick

BBSRC Research Themes:

Sustainable Agriculture and Food (Plant and Crop Science)

Project Outline

Modern agricultural practices face significant challenges with nutrient runoff and inefficient fertiliser use, both of which are direct priorities within the BBSRC's Agriculture and Food Security strategic framework. This project addresses these systemic challenges by developing advanced "emulgels" as sophisticated delivery vectors for agricultural nutrients in both soil and hydroponic systems. Doping hydrogels with oil droplets creates a composite material that traps solutes and regulates their release. This project will aim to design, model, and characterise such materials, and study how their properties can be tuned to achieve tuneable release profiles of beneficial agents for plants.

The successful candidate will use a combination of rigorous mathematical modelling and applied chemical engineering, building on an ongoing collaboration between the Warwick Mathematics Institute and Warwick Chemistry. This includes:

Kinetic modelling: Employing Bayesian inference and non-linear regression to extract accurate parameters from experimental data.
Simulation: Developing robust Monte Carlo simulations to model phase separation and predict nutrient release profiles across varying conditions.
Continuum modelling: Building mathematical models for emulgels using techniques from fluid and solid mechanics, taking input from the microscale simulations to provide testable results to be compared with experiments.
Analytical characterisation: Validating theoretical findings through data analysis workflows, including Size Exclusion Chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and rheological testing of the synthesised emulgels.

Using these approaches, the student will design and optimise emulgels engineered to release their payload steadily over extended periods in targeted environments, such as water-saturated soil. The goal is a tuneable, responsive, gel that ensures optimal uptake while minimising waste, advancing sustainable agri-tech innovations.