We are an interdisciplinary and international team working at the interface between soft matter physics, biology and material science. We are always looking for enthusiastic students or postdocs ready to join us, if your are interested contact carla.fernandezrico@ista.ac.at with any questions.
Prof. Carla Fernandez-Rico
Carla comes from Barcelona, where she studied Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona before moving to Utrecht University for a MSc in Nanomaterials. She then joined the University of Oxford for a PhD in Physical Chemistry with Prof. Roel Dullens, studying how shape-anisotropic colloids self-assemble into liquid-crystalline phases. In 2021, she moved to ETH Zurich as an ETH Postdoctoral Fellow in Prof. Eric Dufresne’s group, where she worked on phase separation in polymer networks and soft materials. She later established her independent research program through an SNSF Ambizione Fellowship. In September 2026, Carla joined ISTA as a tenure-track Assistant Professor and founded the Soft and Biofabricated Materials Lab. Outside the lab, she enjoys running, cycling, karate, and generally finding good reasons to be outdoors.
Posdoctoral Researchers and Support
Dr. Louis Cortes – PostDoc
Louis comes from France (Bayonne), and studied Physics in Bordaux. After his PhD in colloidal physics at the University of Oxford (supervised by Dirk Aarts), he joined the Lamber group at Cornell University, where he developed microfluidic tools for antibiotic resistance in bacteria. In the Fall of 2026, Louis will join the Soft and Biofabricated materials group.
Benjamin Jones – Admin
Benjamin originates from Ireland and studied Material Science for her BSc and MSc at ETH Zurich. After a master project in Prof. Spolenak’s group at ETHZ, she joined the group for her master thesis and she is studying bacterial cellulose using different strains. Benji is Carla’s A2P (assistant to professor) and likes X, Y and Z.
PhD and Master students
Elise Ansart (PhD Student)
Elise hails from Paris, where she studied a BSc in Chemistry at ENS. She then obtained a MSc in Material’s Chemistry from Sorbonne University, after completing a master thesis in Prof. Mooney’s lab at Harvard University. She then joined ETH Zurich as an intern in Prof. Mark Tibbit’s and Dr. Mommer’s lab. In January 2025, Elise joined the group as the first PhD student, and works in bacterial cellulose.
Isabel Hui (PhD Student, co-supervised with Prof. Marcy Zenoby)
Isabel comes from the Italian part of Switzerland and studied a B.Sc. in Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zurich. After completing a Master in Biomedical engineering at ETH in 2024, she joined the Tissue engineering and Biofabrication Laboratory lead by Prof. Marcy Zenoby. Isabel is co-supervised by Marcy and Carla, and works on structured tissue scaffolds via phase separation processes.
Laura Windlin (PhD Student)
Laura originates from the German-speaking part of Switzerland and studied Material Science for her BSc and MSc at ETH Zurich. After a master project in Prof. Spolenak’s group at ETHZ, she joined the group for her master thesis and she is studying bacterial cellulose using different strains. Laura will continue as PhD at ISTA!
Peter Marzo (MSc Student)
Peter’s roots are in Italy, in Venice and Trieste, as well as in Slovenia. In his BSc at Politecnico di Milano he studied Mechanical Engineering, while his MSc degree at KTH in Stockholm is Solid Mechanics. Peter joined the group for his Master Thesis to analyse the effects of fibre alignment on mechanical behaviour, and will joing ista as a scientific intern in the Fall of 2026!
