Dr Olivia Pabois

Profile

Recently graduated from King’s College London, UK, with a PhD in Chemistry, Dr Olivia Pabois joined the team of Prof Anwesha Sarkar, as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, to work on ‘AquaLub’ - a European Research Council (ERC) Proof-of-Concept funded project. Specialised in the field of colloid and interface science applied to food, she has a robust experience with using neutron and X-ray scattering techniques, which she acquired during her PhD carried out in collaboration with the Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France - the world’s flagship centre for neutron science. As part of her postdoctoral work, she aims to design new aqueous lubricant formulations and test their technical and commercial feasibility, in addition to bringing a detailed, fundamental mechanistic understanding of the processes occurring in the complex human oral mucosa.

Research interests

As part of her PhD, Dr Olivia Pabois aimed at elucidating the mechanisms involved in lipid digestion in order to develop therapeutic strategies aimed at controlling and optimising fat absorption, thus helping guide the rational desigh of novel, healthy foods and contributing to the fight against obesity. In particular, she addressed fundamental questions on the role of bile salts in lipid digestion, using a physicochemist approach, from a colloid and interface science perspective (rather than from a physiology or nutrition background), and thus brought a very fresh approach to the ongoing obesity crisis.

The objective of her postdoctoral work is to develop and commercialize new aqueous lubricant formulations with optimal lubrication properties for patients living with dry mouth syndrome, and give further insight into the processes occurring in the complex human oral mucosa.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, King's College London, UK
• “Diplôme d’ingénieur” (i.e., M. Eng. in Chemistry), ENSCR, Rennes, France
• M. Sc. in Molecular Chemistry, University of Rennes 1, France