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Tatiana Budtova

Tatiana Budtova

Research Director

Center · CEMEF

Topic(s)
Biomaterials, Polymer, Renewable Energy, Super-insulator

Keywords

Awards & distinctions

  • 2025 Knight of the National Order of Merit
  • 2020 2020 CNRS Silver Medal.
  • 2014 Winner of the Innovative Environmental Technologies Award
  • 2014 ADEME Award for Innovative Environmental Technologies
  • 2014 ADEME Award for Innovative Environmental Technologies, Materials Category

Team

BIO - Polymères et Composites Biosourcés

Biography

Tatiana Budtova is a researcher specializing in the study of bio-based materials and polysaccharide-based aerogels. Her work focuses on the relationship between the structure and properties of hydrogels, aerogels, and cryogels, exploring sustainable and innovative manufacturing processes. She has contributed to advancing knowledge on gelation, ionic crosslinking, and drying methods (supercritical drying, freeze-drying, or vacuum evaporation) to optimize the physical and functional properties of these materials. Her research also covers the upcycling of agri-food or textile waste into high-value-added porous materials, as well as their applications in fields such as thermal insulation, the controlled release of active ingredients, and biomedical engineering. Tatiana Budtova’s expertise extends to the influence of processing parameters on the morphology, density, specific surface area, and mechanical performance of porous materials, while incorporating principles of the circular economy and sustainability.

Publication(s)

Teaching

Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) track

Guest Lecturer

The Second Year: Discover, Observe, Experiment The two-week elective period is devoted to a mini-project in pairs, in one of the School’s two laboratories (the Materials Center in Evry or the Materials Processing Center in Sophia-Antipolis, with more than 70 faculty members supporting the elective). The topics revolve around a specific industrial project. The focus is on discovering physical, chemical, and mechanical phenomena—and on quantifying them. A detailed report and an oral defense allow students not only to develop communication skills but, above all, to learn from one another. Some topics include: investigation of a railway brake failure, investigation of non-conformity in metal seals, welding (instrumented testing and numerical modeling), study of foam formation mechanisms for automotive seats, aerogel formation for super-insulation or biomedical applications... The 3rd Year: Understanding, Making Choices, Optimizing The two highlights of the third year are the elective month (starting at the beginning of the academic year) and the personal project, which takes up the rest of the time allocated to the elective. The elective month: “Materials and Engineers” in a specific industrial sector. The elective month is devoted to materials engineering and focuses on a specific industrial sector (2004 and 2005: the automotive industry; 2006 and 2007: aerospace; 2008 and 2009: construction; 2010 and 2011: energy; 2012 and 2013: healthcare; 2014 and 2015: aerospace). The wide range of activities fosters hands-on learning and helps build a cohesive group, enriched by the diverse backgrounds and personalities of both students and teachers: industrial tours: the development, processing, and use of materials in the chosen field; a few lectures given by industry experts; “Industrial Discovery” mini-projects: 5 days in groups of 2 to 4 students at an industrial site, supervised by on-site engineers, working on an engineering problem; a written report (for internal company use) and an oral presentation allow the different groups to share the knowledge and experiences they gained in the field; a few “classes”—which are actually preparatory sessions for the visits and “debriefing” sessions in the form of Q&A sessions with faculty regarding the lectures and industrial visits. The elective project: applying methods and knowledge to solve an industrial problem. These individual elective projects form the backbone of the third year. Defined as early as October, in accordance with each student’s preferences, they focus on a clearly identified industrial problem. Lasting at least 4 months (a total of 8 months for Polytech students in the “specialized track”), they take place at an industrial site under dual supervision: engineers from the company on one hand, and a faculty member from one of the School’s two “Materials” laboratories on the other. The emphasis is on understanding the underlying phenomena and solving the practical problem at hand. Some representative elective topics covered in recent years: selection of a material for a Formula 1 racing car component (Renault, Viry-Châtillon); modeling of thin films deposited on glass (Saint-Gobain, Thourotte); selection and sizing of a shock-absorbing foam (SNCF, Le Mans); feasibility of coating pistons via plasma spraying (Toyota, Evry—Belgium – Japan); an innovative steel continuous casting process (Vallourec, Aulnoye-Aymeries / Brazil); optimization of the fiber-reinforced polymer injection molding process (Bosch, Germany); analysis of medieval gilded enameled glass (Laboratoire des Musées de France, Paris); prediction of fracture properties of steels for gas pipelines (ArcelorMittal, Ghent, Belgium). acceptance criteria for forging defects (PSA, La Garenne-Colombes); painting defects on automotive plastic body parts (Mécaplast, Monaco) welding of superalloy parts for space launch vehicles (Snecma, Vernon) improvement of non-destructive testing of power plant components (EDF, Saint-Denis) decontamination of concrete used in civil engineering for nuclear power plants (Bouygues, St-Quentin / CEA, Marcoule) Improving the manufacturing of composite parts for the aerospace industry (Dassault, Argenteuil) Material selection for endoscopic probes with integrated microscopes (Mauna Kea Technologies, Paris) Key features of the track: Hands-on experience! The track includes very few courses in the traditional sense: knowledge and skills are acquired through courses offered to all students (core curriculum, specialized courses) and, above all, by sharing each student’s real-world experiences in the field. It’s about experimenting on your own and as part of a team (with dual mentoring by an industrial engineer and a faculty researcher). Intensive group work The diversity and number of students in the track allow everyone to learn from and with one another. This provides effective training in self-directed learning methods that engineers will use throughout their careers to remain key players in their fields of expertise and take control of their professional development. Interdisciplinary Approach The field of materials lies at the intersection of disciplines such as physics, chemistry, mechanics, applied mathematics, and numerical modeling. Elective projects often include both an experimental component and a modeling component, providing a well-rounded education in materials science. The track covers ceramics, “plastics,” metals, and alloys, as well as ancient artifacts (archaeology) and the latest innovations (“biological” steels, bio-based and non-bio-based aerogels, etc.).

PhD supervision

  • 2026 Sustainable upcycling of cellulose-based textile waste through the all-cellulose composite approach KEO Srey Nick
  • 2022 from solution to porous network: controlling the morphology and properties of cellulose aerogels GELAS Loris
  • 2022 Biosourced nanocomposite hydrogels and aerogels for biomedical applications BOURAS Hiba
  • 2022 Pectin-based aerogels for thermal superinsulation EFFRAIMOPOULOU Eleni
  • 2021 Development of hyaluronic acid-based materials LEGAY Laurianne
  • 2021 From cellulose ethers to bio-aerogels: Towards additive-free drug delivery vectors YU Sujie
  • 2021 Valorization of orange waste into porous supports for organic phase change materials TAGUCHI POSSARI Lais
  • 2020 Textile waste to cellulose aerogels for controlled release applications. NEGRIER Marion
  • 2019 Chitosan-based aerogels and cryogels for wound treatment CHARTIER Coraline
  • 2016 Cellulose-based aerogels: properties and production in bead form DRUEL Lucile
  • 2015 Pectin aerogels: advanced materials for thermal insulation and drug delivery GROULT Sophie