Milica Velimirović

SSBD Basel 2024 Speakers - Milica Velimirović

Milica Velimirović earned her PhD in 2013 from the University of Antwerp, in collaboration with the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) in Belgium. From 2013 to 2019, she held a post-doctoral position in the Department of Environmental Geosciences at the University of Vienna, Austria. During this time, her research focused on developing validated and standardized methods using field flow fractionation coupled with ICP-MS, supporting the implementation of the European Commission's recommendations on nanomaterials. From 2019 to 2022, Dr. Velimirovic served as a senior postdoctoral researcher (FWO) within the "Atomic and Mass Spectrometry" research group at the Department of Chemistry, Ghent University, Belgium, and VITO. Currently, she is a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow and Researcher at VITO. Additionally, she is a Management Committee member and leader of Working Group 7 (Developing new strategies to increase synergies with society and education) for Cost Action 20101 - Plastics Monitoring Detection Remediation Recovery (PRIORITY). She also coordinates the EU-funded SSbD4CheM project. Dr. Velimirović's primary research interests lie in developing innovative mass spectrometry analytical strategies and methods to assess and predict the health and environmental risks of nanomaterials, including nanoplastics.

Safe and Sustainable by Design Framework

The implementation of safe and sustainable strategies during the pre-market design and development phase of novel materials can yield significant benefits such as improving product safety, minimizing risks to human and environmental health, and addressing technical and scientific challenges while maintaining the material’s functionality. This approach aligns with Europe's transition towards a circular and low-carbon economy, as well as the European chemicals strategy for sustainability. The aim of this presentation is to show SSbD4CheM approach for sustainable material development in key industries such as textiles, automotive, and cosmetics. SSbD4CheM innovations include physicochemical characterization, risk assessment, and in silico prediction tools. These methods support the development of hazard screening tools, enhance ex-ante life cycle assessments, and promote non-animal in vitro studies, ensuring a balance between safety and sustainability in material innovation.

Funding information: SSb4CheM has received funding from the HE R&I programme under GA n°101138475, UKRI and SERI. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU. Neither the EU nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.