Salla Maarit Koskela

Salla Maarit Koskela

Postdoctoral Researcher
Postdoctoral Researcher
T107 Bioproducts and Biosystems

Fabrication of high-performing yet renewable and biodegradable materials is one of the current challenges in sustainable development. A possible solution is offered by mechanically robust natural polymers such as silk and cellulose that have proven to be excellent candidates for next-generation sustainable materials. Nature also gives us inspiration how to assemble these building-blocks into complex and hierarchical bulk materials. The aim of my current project is to fabricate engineered living materials (ELMs) that take advantage of these robust natural polymers. I am especially interested in production of engineered enzymes and proteins in yeast that may be useful in altering the material properties. In addition, synthetic biology provides us interesting ways to control the material properties. Such living materials have a wide range of potential applications from therapeutic to self-healing purposes.

Currently I work as a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Markus Linder's group at Aalto University. I have obtained a PhD at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. In my PhD work I focused on lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) and their utilization towards environmentally friendly production of nanocellulose and cellulose-based materials. My master's degree is from University of Helsinki, Finland, where my main subject was fungal biotechnology.

Key areas of expertise:

protein production in fungal hosts, carbohydrate-active enzymes, and the use of enzymes and proteins in fabrication of nanocellulose-based materials. 

Current and former students:

Karoliina Elfving, PhD student (co-supervisor, 6/2023-)

Tiia Siivola, PhD student (co-supervisor, 12/2023-)

Jenni Klemola, MSc student (2024-)

Cleopatra Siders Silva, BSc student (Graduated 2024)

Venla Laitinen, BSc student (Graduated 2024)

Activities:

  • MSc course "CHEM-E8110" (Lecturer) 2024, Aalto University
  • International Journal of Biological Macromolecules (Reviewer) 2024
  • 267th ACS National Meeting and Expo (Speaker) Mar 17-21st 2024, New Orleans, USA
  • The 5th International Cellulose Conference (Participant) 2023, Hiroshima, Japan
  • MSc course "CHEM-E8110" (Lecturer) 2023, Aalto University
  • ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (Reviewer) 2023
  • Journal of Polymer Science (Reviewer) 2023
  • PhD course "Plant Cell Walls" (Invited lecturer) Jan 12th 2023, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Undergraduate course in biological engineering (Invited speaker) Jul 21th 2022, Mapúa University, Philippines
  • TAPPI Nano international conference on nanotechnology for renewable materials (Speaker) Jun 8-11th 2020, Helsinki, Finland (event cancelled due to covid-19)
  • Green China, 1st International Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference (Speaker) Oct 17-19th 2019, Beijing, China
  • Stockholm Cell Wall Meeting III (Speaker), Sep 18th 2019, Stockholm, Sweden
  • 257th ACS National Meeting and Expo (Poster) Mar 31st - 4th Apr 2019, Orlando, USA
  • 29th Fungal Genetics Conference (Poster) Mar 14-19th 2017, Pasific Grove, USA
 
Full researcher profile
https://research.aalto.fi/...
Sähköposti
[email protected]

Osaamisalueet

Carbohydrate-active enzymes, Biomass, Materials science, Cellulose, Nanocellulose, Wood, Fungi, 216 Materials engineering, 1182 Biochemistry, cell and molecular biology

Tutkimusryhmät

  • Biomolecular Materials, Postdoctoral Researcher

Julkaisut

Metastable Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation and Aging Lead to Strong Processing Path Dependence in Mini-Spidroin Solutions

Dmitrii Fedorov, Fred-Eric Sammalisto, Adam Harmat, Martin Ahlberg, Salla Koskela, Mikko Haataja, Alberto Scacchi, Maria Sammalkorpi, Markus Linder 2024 Advanced Functional Materials

Structural and biochemical analysis of family 92 carbohydrate-binding modules uncovers multivalent binding to β-glucans

Meng-Shu Hao, Scott Mazurkewich, He Li, Alma Kvammen, Srijani Saha, Salla Koskela, Annie Inman, Masahiro Nakajima, Nobukiyo Tanaka, Hiroyuki Nakai, Gisela Brändén, Vincent Bulone, Johan Larsbrink, Lauren S. McKee 2024 Nature Communications

Regenerated cellulose films with controllable microporous structure for enhanced seed germination

Pin Liang, Xiaoping Chen, Junmei Wang, Chunsheng Cai, Meng He, Xingxing Li, Yibao Li, Salla Koskela, Dingfeng Xu 2024 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

An Oxidative Enzyme Boosting Mechanical and Optical Performance of Densified Wood Films

Salla Koskela, Shennan Wang, Lengwan Li, Li Zha, Lars A. Berglund, Qi Zhou 2023 Small

Wood xerogel for fabrication of high-performance transparent wood

Shennan Wang, Lengwan Li, Li Zha, Salla Koskela, Lars A. Berglund, Qi Zhou 2023 Nature Communications

Hemicellulose content affects the properties of cellulose nanofibrils produced from softwood pulp fibres by LPMO

Salla Koskela, Li Zha, Shennan Wang, Max Yan, Qi Zhou 2022 Green Chemistry

Strong, transparent, and thermochromic composite hydrogel from wood derived highly mesoporous cellulose network and PNIPAM

Shennan Wang, Hui Chen, Kai Li, Salla Koskela, Lars A. Berglund, Qi Zhou 2022 Composites Part A : Applied science and manufacturing

Structure and Self-Assembly of Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenase-Oxidized Cellulose Nanocrystals

Salla Koskela, Shennan Wang, Peter Matthew Paul Fowler, Fangchang Tan, Qi Zhou 2021 ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering

Surface Functionalization of Spruce‐Derived Cellulose Scaffold for Glycoprotein Separation

Kai Li, Shennan Wang, Salla Koskela, Qi Zhou 2021 Advanced Materials Interfaces

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) mediated production of ultra-fine cellulose nanofibres from delignified softwood fibres

Salla Koskela, Shennan Wang, Dingfeng Xu, Xuan Yang, Kai Li, Lars A. Berglund, Lauren S. McKee, Vincent Bulone, Qi Zhou 2019 Green Chemistry

Coacervation of resilin fusion proteins containing terminal functionalities

Wenwen Fang, Marika Vitikainen, Pezhman Mohammadi, Salla Koskela, Miika Soikkeli, Ann Westerholm-Parvinen, Christopher P. Landowski, Merja Penttilä, Markus B. Linder, Päivi Laaksonen 2018 Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces

Characterization of a feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus terreus facilitates the division of fungal enzymes from Carbohydrate Esterase family 1 of the carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZy) database

Miia R. Mäkelä, Adiphol Dilokpimol, Salla M. Koskela, Jaana Kuuskeri, Ronald P. de Vries, Kristiina Hilden 2018 Microbial Biotechnology

Elastic and pH-Responsive Hybrid Interfaces Created with Engineered Resilin and Nanocellulose

Wenwen Fang, Arja Paananen, Marika Vitikainen, Salla Koskela, Ann Westerholm-Parvinen, Jussi J. Joensuu, Christopher P. Landowski, Merja Penttilä, Markus Linder, Päivi Laaksonen 2017 Biomacromolecules