NCCR Bio-Inspired Materials WINS Fellow Dr. Jessica Clough has been awarded a PRIMA grant by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The funding will allow her to develop an independent research project over the next five years at the Adolphe Merkle Institute.

Clough will investigate new methods to evaluate mechanical damage on polymeric materials. This damage is poorly understood, making it difficult to determine when load-bearing polymers will fail. This research aims to establish a new methodology for imaging mechanical damage in these materials at the nanoscale. This methodology will inform the design of more durable polymers, leading for example to fewer replacements, and making their use more sustainable.

Clough, who studied at the University of Cambridge and completed her PhD at the Technical University of Eindhoven (Netherlands), joined the AMI Polymer Chemistry and Materials group for her WINS fellowship in 2020. She has been a group leader since April. With the PRIMA grant, she will be promoted to Assistant Professor by the University of Fribourg.

PRIMA grants are aimed at outstanding women researchers who demonstrate the potential required to obtain a professorship according to the Swiss National Science Foundation. Grantees conduct an independent research project for up to five years, with their own team at a Swiss research institution. Clough is one of 17 grantees, and one of three at the University of Fribourg.

The NCCR’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Women in Science (WINS) seeks to support the professional development of outstanding female researchers who wish to pursue an academic career. The fellowships support the residency of researchers as part of one of the center’s research groups.