Diana Marcano, Ph.D

With a background in physics, Diana Marcano earned her PhD in Materials Physics from Göttingen University-Germany and holds a Master’s degree in Materials Engineering from Universidad Simón Bolívar, Venezuela. Her career focuses on the multidisciplinary development of materials through R&D and industrial projects, particularly in energy applications. She is currently part of the Division for Engineering Materials Development at the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Poznań Institute of Technology in Poland (Łukasiewicz – PIT).

Her work spans from atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to designing and optimizing high temperature materials with complex physical properties, including oxygen separation membranes, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrode and electrolyte materials, proton conducting membranes, and electrodes for water electrolysis. Techniques such as powder metallurgy, spark-plasma sintering, thermal spraying, additive manufacturing, and wet chemical methods have been her tools. At Łukasiewicz – PIT, Dr. Marcano now dedicates her work to the manufacturing of 2D materials (Mxenes) at large scales, developing safe, robust, and industrially relevant processing routes aligned with the Safe and Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework. Her current research focuses on translating advanced functional materials into scalable technologies while ensuring environmental responsibility, safety, and long-term material performance.

With an increasing number of publications, patents, and invited talks, she brings curiosity and precision to the challenge of creating next-generation materials. Underpinning her work is a persistent question: In what ways do processing routes determine a material’s final properties? Process shapes properties – and that truth guides everything she does.