Hydrogels, an unexplored material | Alvaro Charlet | TEDxLausanne

Alvaro Charlet is a PhD in Soft Materials at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). In his talk, he will explain how he is trying to build new materials to replace tendons for the injured, making everyone walk again. Alvaro Charlet is a PhD student in Soft Materials at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He started as a student there in 2011, followed by an exchange year in Gothenburg, Sweden. After gaining his bachelors degree, he moved to Basel an internship in thin film materials for optical security. He then started his masters at EPFL specialising in materials for biological applications. He concluded his masters by doing a thesis on bioinspired hydrogels at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA.

On his way back to Europe, he did an apprenticeship in traditional metal craftsmanship for luxury goods in Florence, Italy. He finally moved back to Lausanne two years ago to join the Soft Materials Group of Prof. Esther Amstad to start his PhD in hydrogel for load bearing applications.

Earlier this year at EPFL, he participated in the My Thesis 180s competition where he won 1st place. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx