Namaste..!!

I am Vaibhav Budhiraja from Delhi, India. I am a Polymer Chemist and a traveler. In December 2020, I moved to Ljubljana, Slovenia to pursue my PhD on the topic “Chemistry and bulk properties and degradation of microplastics”. Currently, I am working at the National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana in the LimnoPlast ITN project under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Andrej Kržan. My academic credentials include M.Sc in Materials Chemistry from Jamia Millia Islamia and M.Tech in Polymer Technology from Delhi Technological University, India. After obtaining my master’s degree I worked as Production Officer at Asian Paints Ltd. for two years and as a Lecturer at Pusa Institute of Technology for one year.

My study is based on the degradation of conventional and biodegradable polymers. The focus of the study is to investigate the effect of environmental factors on the chemical properties of polymers; functional groups, molar masses, adsorption effect, physical fragmentation, density, hydrophobicity changes, and susceptibility to biofilm formation. It includes analysis of samples collected from the environment, laboratory experiments with different methodologies for isolation, identification and characterization of MPs like microscopy (optical, IR, electron, AF), spectroscopy, thermal characterization, chromatography etc.

Moving from the wonderful capital of India (Delhi) to another astonishing capital of Slovenia (Ljubljana) is a pleasing experience. More than half of the country is covered with Natural reserves, forests and parks. Its green heart beats to the rhythm of nature. It is a small, beekeeping country with a 2 million population where 1 out of 200 people is a beekeeper. It is a crossroad to major trade routes and a two-hour drive from Ljubljana in north and south can lead to the Alps and sea respectively. Slovenia is the only country with LOVE hidden in its name. The diligence and adorable nature of Slovenian people make you fall in love instantly.

Swasth rahe, Khush rahe
Vaibhav