ABOUT US
INNOVATION FOR THE FUTURE
Novatica Technologies Ltd was established based on combined multidisciplinary expertise of two academics with the main aim to develop and promote the most advanced bio- and chemical technologies for a sustainable and prosperous future.
While working in Academia and developing innovative technologies, we noticed that their uptake by the industries is usually hampered by a range of problems, such as high initial costs, technology immaturity and last, but not least, the reluctance by the senior industry players to change the common way of things.
Our Mission is to facilitate the adoption of the cutting-edge technologies in three major domains: Clean Energy & Environment, Health & Wellbeing and Sustainable Economic Growth by:
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training a new generation of engineers who early on become familiar with and used to the new technologies;
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dissemination of high-tech advances in biotech, chemical engineering and materials manufacturing;
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development & optimisation of innovative technologies & sustainable solutions through a holistic analysis of the available research & market data and experimental R&D activities.
OUR TEAM
Dr Maria Sotenko
BSc, MSc (Hons), PhD, FHEA
Co-Founder
Maria has substantial expertise across several disciplines such as biotechnology, downstream processing, catalysis and environmental engineering. In her career of 10+ years in Academia, Maria also provided consultancy support for various industrial partners, participated in numerous outreach and science dissemination activities and developed a multidisciplinary teaching portfolio.
Callum Crane
BSc (Hons)
Research Scientist
Callum holds a BSc (Hons) in Forensic Science and Analytical Chemistry from DeMontfort University. Since 2011, he has been working as a technical officer at the University of Loughborough, supporting teaching and research and participating in multiple research projects that involve various analytical techniques (NMR, PCR, ELISA, XRD, LC-MS, etc.). Callum's outstanding contributions to outreach were recognized with the Papin Prize award and a nomination for a Times Higher Education award.
Dr Konstantin Loponov
BSc, MSc, PhD, AFHEA
Co-Founder
Konstantin is a chemical engineer with more than 17 years of experience in academia and industry and has an impressive track record of publications in highly ranked scientific journals. His considerable portfolio includes projects on fuel cells catalysts development & characterisation, photo- and flow chemistry, process intensification, chemical reactors design and functional materials manufacturing.
Finn Crotty
BEng (2025)
Junior Research Scientist
Finn, a final-year Chemical Engineering student at Chester University, is currently on a one-year placement at Novatica Technologies Ltd. As a top-performing student in his class, Finn excels in chemical engineering process design and analysis, fluid mechanics, separation technologies, chemistry, biotechnology, Pro II modeling, and laboratory work.
Mateusz Guz
MEng (2024)
Junior Research Scientist
Mateusz is a 3d-year Chemical Engineering student at Loughborough University who has gained experience in MATLAB, UNISIM, HAZOP, COMSOL and technical writing. During his second year of studies, Mateusz has completed a design project on the production of alcohol-free beer using de-alcoholisation. Mateusz is among the top performing students in his year, winning the BP Book Prize for academic excellence for his performance in First Year Examinations.
Finley Lloyd
MChem
Research Scientist
Finley graduated from Keele University in 2023 with a high-first MChem (Master of Chemistry) degree. He received the Royal Society of Chemistry MChem Third-year prize for his exceptional studies. Through participation in various research projects with industrial partners, Finley has gained substantial experience in various research topics, including developing carbon supports for electrocatalysis, biopolymer-based smart packaging, and color development in construction materials.
Dr Ariane Sbrice
BEng, MEng, PhD
Research Scientist
Ariane brings international expertise in sustainable technologies and strategies for industrial decarbonisation. Ariane's research focuses on bioenergy/biofuels production, wastes valorization, and conceptual framework design for carbon accounting. Committed to knowledge dissemination, Ariane published in renowned journals, coached startup founders at C13 as a Carbon Expert, and mentored final-year students at the Institute for Sustainability, UKRI – IDRIC.
FORMER MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM
Edrea Phua
BSc, BEng (Hons), PhD (2021)
Research Scientist
Edrea holds both Diploma from Singapore Polytechnic and BEng (Hons) from Loughborough Universities. Edrea has built her unique expertise on the boundary between materials science and biotechnology. Throughout her research career of 6 years, Edrea has acquired great hands-on knowledge in nanocomposites manufacture and characterization, bacteria and bacteriophage small and large scale culturing, biotech product isolation and analysis.
Huzaifa Qureshi
BEng (Hons) (2022)
Junior Research Scientist
Huzaifa is a final year Chemical Engineering student at Chester University who has gained great experience in chemeng and biotech processes design, MATLAB, Pro II, HAZOP, technical reporting and experimental analysis. During his studies and industrial placements, Huzaifa successfully completed projects on the rheological properties of food products, procurement of natural plant-based colorants and polyphenols, biorefinery process development.