Kliton Cikalleshi is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPICI). His research involves the study of biominerals in plants from a functional perspective.
He did a doctorate in Biorobotics with the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, working in the Bioinspired Soft Robotics Lab of the Italian Institute of Technology in Genova, Italy. In his doctoral research he investigated the morphological and aerodynamic properties of flying plant seeds with the objective of developing bioinspired flying sensors for environmental monitoring. His work involved the study of natural systems and the translation of key principles in artificial systems through the use of design, biomaterials and 3D printing. He also did a visiting research period at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, in the Biomaterials group, where he investigated the role of biominerals in Banksia seeds.
Key words
biomaterial, plant biomineral, bioinspiration, 3D printing