Carlos has been with Perstorp for about five years now. He is a polymer chemistry specialist within the Application Development team, part of the Innovation department. His main focus is on polymerization reactions to produce polyesters, with a particular emphasis on Akestra™ and the development of new Akestra™ grades. In addition to that, he also coordinates external collaborations. One example is the finished BHET project, which was an external collaboration with an industrial consortium led by RISE (Sweden's research institute and innovation partner) which has contributed to discussions on polymer science.

“To do my best work, I value a positive, collaborative atmosphere with my colleagues, along with strong support and trust from management. These are essential to creating a productive and rewarding work environment.”

Carlos started his academic path with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering in Spain, where he originally is from. His career began at a particle accelerator before moving to Sweden for a M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and then obtaining a PhD in Polymer Technology from Lund University. After completing postdocs at Case Western Reserve University in the US and back at Lund University, Carlos joined Perstorp. He started as a Development Chemist in Product Development and after two years, transitioned to his current role in Application Development.

“The atmosphere with my colleagues and management is positive, and the environment is clean, safe, and supportive. My role closely mirrors the research aspects I experienced at university but with a more practical, real-world approach. The best part of my job is diving into the science, while the most challenging aspect has been navigating project management, particularly in my role as project coordinator”, says Carlos.