Unilever Research Prize 2016 for Chemical Engineering student Marte Sveistrup

Marte Sveistrup, Master’s student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Groningen, receives the Unilever Research Prize for her thesis on enhanced oil recovery (EOR). She investigated the applicability of several different biopolymers, in combination with surfactants, in EOR processes. The jury praised her work for tackling successfully the different levels of complexity and paving the way towards the macromolecular design of polymer materials that are environmentally friendly and still applicable for EOR purposes. Sveistrup’s findings have been published in the Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology. She carried out part of her thesis at the Technical University of Trondheim (Norway) on her own initiative.

Sveistrup will receive EUR 2,500 and the sculpture ‘The Ovum’, symbolising the emergence of new talent. All winners of the Unilever Prize are young academics who have conducted important research in the fields of chemistry, biotechnology, mechanical engineering, biology, agricultural science and social sciences.

Through granting research prizes Unilever wishes to stimulate these promising talents in their future development.