MALEKI Hajar (Homa)
Chaire de Professeur Junior
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#biomaterials#nanoporous-materials#theragenerative-systems
Dr. Hajar Maleki is a biomaterials scientist whose research spans porous materials, regenerative medicine, and localized cancer therapy. She obtained her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Coimbra, Portugal (2015) as a Marie Curie Fellow, where she focused on the design of mechanically reinforced silica–polymer hybrid aerogels for aerospace applications. During her doctoral studies, she also conducted research at Biocant – Biotechnology Innovation Center (Portugal) on nanoparticle–cell interactions and antibacterial nanomaterials.
In 2016, she was awarded the prestigious FWF Lise Meitner Fellowship from the Austrian Science Fund and joined the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria (2016–2018) as a postdoctoral researcher under Prof. Nicola Hüsing. During this period, she expanded her expertise toward bioinspired porous materials, silk-based aerogels, and biomaterials for tissue engineering and bone regeneration.
In 2019, she moved to the University of Cologne, Germany, where she established her independent research program on Functional Bio-Inspired Porous Materials supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Her work pioneered theragenerative aerogels and hydrogels capable of combining therapeutic and regenerative functions for bone repair, infection control, and cancer treatment. She completed her habilitation in 2023 in the field of biomaterials and regenerative medicine and led an interdisciplinary research group affiliated with the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC).
Dr. Maleki has secured approximately €2.5 million in competitive research funding, authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications (including 35 as senior author), accumulated approximately 6,300 citations (h-index 34), and has been recognized among the World’s Top 2% Scientists in Nanoscience and Materials Chemistry for three consecutive years (2021–2025). She is a Fellow of the Young Academy of Europe (YAE) and was named a 2023 ACS Materials Au Rising Star in Materials Science.
In 2026, she was appointed Chaire de Professeur Junior (CNRS Tenure-Track Professor), France, following a highly competitive national selection process. Her current research focuses on intelligent stimuli-responsive biomaterials, nanoengineered porous materials, and theragenerative systems for tumor microenvironment modulation, localized cancer therapy, and tissue regeneration.
Publications
56 publications
2009–2026 5292 citations 38 revues
Aucune publication ne correspond aux filtres.
Jihène Arfaoui, A. Ghorbel, Sanjay Mathur, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2026).
Advanced Strategies and Innovative Theragenerative Nano/Micro Biomaterials for Bone Cancer Therapy and Bone Tissue Regeneration with a Focus on Osteosarcoma Management
. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
, vol. 12, n° 3, p. 1334-1372
.
Fatemeh Hakimi, Faezeh Almasi, Haniyeh Etezadi, Laleh Salarilak, Massoud Vosough, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2025).
Engineering biomimetic bacteria membrane-coated nanoparticles: an emerging anti-infection platform
. Materials Horizons
, vol. 12, n° 22, p. 9337-9358
.
5 citations
DOI 10.1039/d5mh00918a
Ehsan Tabesh, Daniela Grumme, Marc Herb, Pouya Rezai, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Siu Leung
(2025).
Fabrication of MXene integrated superabsorbent polymers composites hydrogels for bacterial enrichment
. Separation and Purification Technology
, vol. 368, p. 133022-133022
.
7 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.133022
Shiyi Chen, Nourhan Hassan, Alexander Kopp, Tatiane Eufrásio-da-Silva, Jihène Arfaoui, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2025).
Theragenerative injectable bone-adhesive hydrogels for combined photothermal osteosarcoma therapy and bone repair
. Biomaterials Science
, vol. 13, n° 13, p. 3544-3560
.
9 citations
DOI 10.1039/d5bm00559k
Akbar Vaseghi, Majid Sadeghizadeh, Marc Herb, Daniela Grumme, Yan Demidov, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2024).
3D Printing of Biocompatible and Antibacterial Silica–Silk–Chitosan-Based Hybrid Aerogel Scaffolds Loaded with Propolis
. ACS Applied Bio Materials
, vol. 7, n° 12, p. 7917-7935
.
14 citations
DOI 10.1021/acsabm.4c00697
Nahal Abie, Ceyda Ünlü, Ana Pinho, Maria Gomes, Torsten Remmler, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2024).
Designing of a Multifunctional 3D-Printed Biomimetic Theragenerative Aerogel Scaffold via Mussel-Inspired Chemistry: Bioactive Glass Nanofiber-Incorporated Self-Assembled Silk Fibroin with Antibacterial, Antiosteosarcoma, and Osteoinductive Properties
. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
, vol. 16, n° 18, p. 22809-22827
.
32 citations
DOI 10.1021/acsami.4c00065
Valerie Tan, Florian Berg, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2024).
Diatom-inspired silicification process for development of green flexible silica composite aerogels
. Scientific Reports
, vol. 14, n° 1, p. 6973-6973
.
5 citations
DOI 10.1038/s41598-024-57257-x
Melanie Zorrón, Agustín Cabrera, Riya Sharma, Janani Radhakrishnan, Samin Abbaszadeh, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2024).
Emerging 2D Nanomaterials‐Integrated Hydrogels: Advancements in Designing Theragenerative Materials for Bone Regeneration and Disease Therapy
. Advanced Science
, vol. 11, n° 31, p. e2403204-e2403204
.
36 citations
DOI 10.1002/advs.202403204
Melanie Zorrón, Agustín Cabrera, Riya Sharma, Janani Radhakrishnan, Samin Abbaszadeh, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2024).
Emerging 2D Nanomaterials‐Integrated Hydrogels: Advancements in Designing Theragenerative Materials for Bone Regeneration and Disease Therapy (Adv. Sci. 31/2024)
. Advanced Science
, vol. 11, n° 31
.
Akbar Vaseghi, Reza Parchin, Kosar Chamanie, Marc Herb, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Majid Sadeghizadeh
(2024).
Encapsulation of propolis extracted with methylal in the chitosan nanoparticles and its antibacterial and cell cytotoxicity studies
. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
, vol. 24, n° 1, p. 165-165
.
23 citations
DOI 10.1186/s12906-024-04472-8
Zayed Al-Hamamre, Mohammad Alnaief, Sarah Daameh, Jehad Yamin, Arwa Sandouqa, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2024).
Sustainable biodiesel production using lignin-derived sulfonated carbon aerogels catalyst
. International Journal of Sustainable Energy
, vol. 43, n° 1
.
10 citations
DOI 10.1080/14786451.2024.2400657
Zayed Al-Hamamre, Mohammad Alnaief, Jehad Yamin, Ibrahem Altarawneh, Arwa Sandouqa, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2024).
Synthesis, characterization, and performance evaluation of different sulfonated lignin-based carbon catalysts for upgrading waste vegetable oil to biodiesel
. Energy Conversion and Management
, vol. 325, p. 119381-119381
.
13 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.enconman.2024.119381
Solmaz Karamikamkar, Ezgi Yalcintas, Reihaneh Haghniaz, Natan de Barros, Marvin Mecwan, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2023).
Aerogel‐Based Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications: From Fabrication Methods to Disease‐Targeting Applications
. Advanced Science
, vol. 10, n° 23, p. e2204681-e2204681
.
102 citations
DOI 10.1002/advs.202204681
Solmaz Karamikamkar, Ezgi Yalcintas, Reihaneh Haghniaz, Natan de Barros, Marvin Mecwan, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2023).
Aerogel‐Based Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications: From Fabrication Methods to Disease‐Targeting Applications (Adv. Sci. 23/2023)
. Advanced Science
, vol. 10, n° 23
.
4 citations
DOI 10.1002/advs.202370154
Matteo Paolieri, Zihao Chen, Firoz Kadumudi, Morteza Alehosseini, Melanie Zorrón, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2023).
Biomimetic Flexible Electronic Materials from Silk Fibroin-MXene Composites Developed via Mussel-Inspired Chemistry as Wearable Pressure Sensors
. ACS Applied Nano Materials
, vol. 6, n° 7, p. 5211-5223
.
48 citations
DOI 10.1021/acsanm.2c05140
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Valerie Tan, Florian Berg
(2023).
Diatom-Inspired Silicification Process for Development of Green Flexible Silica Composite Aerogels
. Research Square
.
1 citation
DOI 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3597146/v1
Hadice Pektas, Yan Demidov, Aslin Ahvan, Nahal Abie, Veronika Georgieva, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2023).
MXene-Integrated Silk Fibroin-Based Self-Assembly-Driven 3D-Printed Theragenerative Scaffolds for Remotely Photothermal Anti-Osteosarcoma Ablation and Bone Regeneration
. ACS Materials Au
, vol. 3, n° 6, p. 711-726
.
45 citations
DOI 10.1021/acsmaterialsau.3c00040
Noor Al-Jawuschi, Shiyi Chen, Nahal Abie, Thomas Fischer, Silvia Farè, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2023).
Self-Assembly-Driven Bi2S3Nanobelts Integrated a Silk-Fibroin-Based 3D-Printed Aerogel-Based Scaffold with a Dual-Network Structure for Photothermal Bone Cancer Therapy
. Langmuir
, vol. 39, n° 12, p. 4326-4337
.
34 citations
DOI 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c03334
Zayed Al-Hamamre, Zahra Karimzadeh, Seulgi Ji, Heechae Choi, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2022).
Aerogels-Inspired based Photo and Electrocatalyst for Water Splitting to Produce Hydrogen
. Applied Materials Today
, vol. 29, p. 101670-101670
.
18 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.apmt.2022.101670
Philipp Ng, Ana Pinho, Maria Gomes, Yan Demidov, Eva Krakor, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2022).
Fabrication of Antibacterial, Osteo‐Inductor 3D Printed Aerogel‐Based Scaffolds by Incorporation of Drug Laden Hollow Mesoporous Silica Microparticles into the Self‐Assembled Silk Fibroin Biopolymer
. Macromolecular Bioscience
, vol. 22, n° 4, p. e2100442-e2100442
.
39 citations
DOI 10.1002/mabi.202100442
Nighat Karamat-Ullah, Yan Demidov, Michael Schramm, Daniela Grumme, Jaqueline Auer, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2021).
3D Printing of Antibacterial, Biocompatible, and Biomimetic Hybrid Aerogel-Based Scaffolds with Hierarchical Porosities via Integrating Antibacterial Peptide-Modified Silk Fibroin with Silica Nanostructure
. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
, vol. 7, n° 9, p. 4545-4556
.
62 citations
DOI 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c00483
Mandana Dilamian, Majid Joghataei, Zahra Ashrafi, Christoph Bohr, Sanjay Mathur, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2021).
From 1D electrospun nanofibers to advanced multifunctional fibrous 3D aerogels
. Applied Materials Today
, vol. 22, p. 100964-100964
.
74 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.apmt.2021.100964
Valentin Bruder, Tim Ludwig, Stephan Opitz, Ronja Christoffels, Thomas Fischer, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2021).
Hierarchical Assembly of Surface Modified Silk Fibroin Biomass into Micro‐, and Milli‐Metric Hybrid Aerogels with Core‐Shell, Janus, and Composite Configurations for Rapid Removal of Water Pollutants
. Advanced Materials Interfaces
, vol. 8, n° 5
.
27 citations
DOI 10.1002/admi.202001892
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Thomas Fischer, Christoph Bohr, Jaqueline Auer, Sanjay Mathur, Barbara Milow
(2021).
Hierarchically Organized Biomimetic Architectured Silk Fibroin–Ceramic-Based Anisotropic Hybrid Aerogels for Thermal Energy Management
. Biomacromolecules
, vol. 22, n° 4, p. 1739-1751
.
29 citations
DOI 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c00175
Mohsen Abadi, René Weißing, Michael Wilhelm, Yan Demidov, Jaqueline Auer, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2021).
Nacre-Mimetic, Mechanically Flexible, and Electrically Conductive Silk Fibroin-MXene Composite Foams as Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors
. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
, vol. 13, n° 29, p. 34996-35007
.
95 citations
DOI 10.1021/acsami.1c09675
Zhensheng Hong, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Tim Ludwig, Yichao Zhen, Michael Wilhelm, Damin Lee, et al.
(2021).
New insights into carbon-based and MXene anodes for Na and K-ion storage: A review
. Journal of Energy Chemistry
, vol. 62, p. 660-691
.
97 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.jechem.2021.04.031
Samira Malekmohammadi, Negar Aminabad, Amin Sabzi, Amir Zarebkohan, Mehdi Razavi, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2021).
Smart and Biomimetic 3D and 4D Printed Composite Hydrogels: Opportunities for Different Biomedical Applications
. Biomedicines
, vol. 9, n° 11, p. 1537-1537
.
123 citations
DOI 10.3390/biomedicines9111537
Mohammad‐Ali Shahbazi, Masoumeh Ghalkhani, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2020).
Directional Freeze‐Casting: A Bioinspired Method to Assemble Multifunctional Aligned Porous Structures for Advanced Applications
. Advanced Engineering Materials
, vol. 22, n° 7
.
219 citations
DOI 10.1002/adem.202000033
Masoud Mirzaei, Malihe Zarch, Mahdieh Darroudi, Khalilollah Sayyadi, Seyed Keshavarz, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2020).
Silica Mesoporous Structures: Effective Nanocarriers in Drug Delivery and Nanocatalysts
. Applied Sciences
, vol. 10, n° 21, p. 7533-7533
.
50 citations
DOI 10.3390/app10217533
Mohammad‐Ali Shahbazi, Leila Faghfouri, Mónica Ferreira, Patrícia Figueiredo, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Farshid Sefat, et al.
(2020).
The versatile biomedical applications of bismuth-based nanoparticles and composites: therapeutic, diagnostic, biosensing, and regenerative properties
. Chemical Society Reviews
, vol. 49, n° 4, p. 1253-1321
.
513 citations
DOI 10.1039/c9cs00283a
Susan Montes, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2019).
Aerogels and their applications
. Elsevier BV
, p. 337-399
.
Elijah Adesuji, Y. Al-Douri, Anchu Ashok, Julie Baruah, Rama Bhattacharjee, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2019).
Contributors
. Elsevier BV
, p. xi-xiii
.
DOI 10.1016/b978-0-12-813357-6.09994-0
book-chapter
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Mohammad‐Ali Shahbazi, Susan Montes, Seyed Hosseini, Mohammad Eskandari, Stefan Zaunschirm, et al.
(2019).
Mechanically Strong Silica-Silk Fibroin Bioaerogel: A Hybrid Scaffold with Ordered Honeycomb Micromorphology and Multiscale Porosity for Bone Regeneration
. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
, vol. 11, n° 19, p. 17256-17269
.
174 citations
DOI 10.1021/acsami.9b04283
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Nicola Huesing
(2019).
Silica-silk fibroin hybrid (bio)aerogels: two-step versus one-step hybridization
. Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology
, vol. 98, n° 2, p. 430-438
.
34 citations
DOI 10.1007/s10971-019-04933-4
Reza Mohammadinejad, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Eneko Larrañeta, André Fajardo, Amirala Nik, Amin Shavandi, et al.
(2019).
Status and future scope of plant-based green hydrogels in biomedical engineering
. Applied Materials Today
, vol. 16, p. 213-246
.
232 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.apmt.2019.04.010
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Nicola Hüsing
(2018).
Aerogels as promising materials for environmental remediation—A broad insight into the environmental pollutants removal through adsorption and (photo)catalytic processes
. Elsevier BV
, p. 389-436
.
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Susan Montes, Nastaran Hayati-Roodbari, Florian Putz, Nicola Huesing
(2018).
Compressible, Thermally Insulating, and Fire Retardant Aerogels through Self-Assembling Silk Fibroin Biopolymers Inside a Silica Structure—An Approach towards 3D Printing of Aerogels
. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
, vol. 10, n° 26, p. 22718-22730
.
157 citations
DOI 10.1021/acsami.8b05856
Ebrahim Alaie, Ambika, David Antia, Bharti Arora, Simion Aştilean, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, et al.
(2018).
List of contributors
. Elsevier BV
, p. xv-xviii
.
DOI 10.1016/b978-0-12-811033-1.09987-x
book-chapter
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Lawrence Whitmore, Nicola Hüsing
(2018).
Novel multifunctional polymethylsilsesquioxane–silk fibroin aerogel hybrids for environmental and thermal insulation applications
. Journal of Materials Chemistry A
, vol. 6, n° 26, p. 12598-12612
.
165 citations
DOI 10.1039/c8ta02821d
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Nicola Hüsing
(2017).
Current status, opportunities and challenges in catalytic and photocatalytic applications of aerogels: Environmental protection aspects
. APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
, vol. 221, p. 530-555
.
252 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.apcatb.2017.08.012
Luísa Durães, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, João Vareda, Alyne Lamy-Mendes, António Portugal
(2017).
Exploring the Versatile Surface Chemistry of Silica Aerogels for Multipurpose Application
. MRS Advances
, vol. 2, n° 57, p. 3511-3519
.
21 citations
DOI 10.1557/adv.2017.375
Telma Matias, Joana Marques, F.L. Conceição, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Margarida Quina, Licínio Gando‐Ferreira, et al.
(2017).
Towards improved adsorption of phenolic compounds by surface chemistry tailoring of silica aerogels
. Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology
, vol. 84, n° 3, p. 409-421
.
12 citations
DOI 10.1007/s10971-017-4373-4
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Luísa Durães, António Portugal
(2016).
A new trend for development of mechanically robust hybrid silica aerogels
. Materials Letters
, vol. 179, p. 206-209
.
23 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.matlet.2016.05.085
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Luísa Durães, B. Costa, R. Santos, António Portugal
(2016).
Design of multifunctional magnetic hybrid silica aerogels with improved properties
. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials
, vol. 232, p. 227-237
.
18 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.micromeso.2016.06.025
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Akhilesh Rai, Sandra Pinto, Marta Evangelista, Renato Cardoso, Cristiana Paulo, et al.
(2016).
High Antimicrobial Activity and Low Human Cell Cytotoxicity of Core–Shell Magnetic Nanoparticles Functionalized with an Antimicrobial Peptide
. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
, vol. 8, n° 18, p. 11366-11378
.
72 citations
DOI 10.1021/acsami.6b03355
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2016).
Recent advances in aerogels for environmental remediation applications: A review
. Chemical Engineering Journal
, vol. 300, p. 98-118
.
676 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.cej.2016.04.098
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Luísa Durães, Carlos García‐González, Pasquale Del Gaudio, António Portugal, Morteza Mahmoudi
(2016).
Synthesis and biomedical applications of aerogels: Possibilities and challenges
. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science
, vol. 236, p. 1-27
.
382 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.cis.2016.05.011
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Luísa Durães, António Portugal
(2015).
Development of Mechanically Strong Ambient Pressure Dried Silica Aerogels with Optimized Properties
. Journal of Physical Chemistry C
, vol. 119, n° 14, p. 7689-7703
.
101 citations
DOI 10.1021/jp5116004
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI
(2014).
Development of mechanically reinforced polymersilica aerogels for thermal insulation in Space applications
. University of Coimbra
.
thesis
Nuno Rocha, Joana Mendes, Luísa Durães, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, António Portugal, Carlos Geraldes, et al.
(2014).
Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(4-vinyl pyridine) as a versatile block copolymer to prepare nanoaggregates of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles
. Journal of Materials Chemistry B
, vol. 2, n° 11, p. 1565-1565
.
26 citations
DOI 10.1039/c3tb21454k
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Luísa Durães, António Portugal
(2014).
Synthesis of lightweight polymer-reinforced silica aerogels with improved mechanical and thermal insulation properties for space applications
. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials
, vol. 197, p. 116-129
.
145 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.micromeso.2014.06.003
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Luísa Durães, António Portugal
(2014).
Synthesis of mechanically reinforced silica aerogels via surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization
. Journal of Materials Chemistry A
, vol. 3, n° 4, p. 1594-1600
.
99 citations
DOI 10.1039/c4ta05618c
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Luísa Durães, António Portugal
(2013).
An overview on silica aerogels synthesis and different mechanical reinforcing strategies
. Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids
, vol. 385, p. 55-74
.
724 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2013.10.017
Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Abdolreza Simchi, Mohammad Imani, B. Costa
(2012).
Size-controlled synthesis of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and their surface coating by gold for biomedical applications
. Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials
, vol. 324, n° 23, p. 3997-4005
.
122 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.jmmm.2012.06.045
Azim Halimehjani, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Mohammad Saidi
(2009).
ChemInform Abstract: Regiospecific Iodocyclization of S‐Allyl Dithiocarbamates: Synthesis of 2‐Imino‐1,3‐dithiolane and 2‐Iminium‐1,3‐dithiolane Derivatives.
. ChemInform
, vol. 40, n° 37
.
Azim Halimehjani, Hajar (Homa) MALEKI, Mohammad Saidi
(2009).
Regiospecific iodocyclization of S-allyl dithiocarbamates: synthesis of 2-imino-1,3-dithiolane and 2-iminium-1,3-dithiolane derivatives
. Tetrahedron Letters
, vol. 50, n° 23, p. 2747-2749
.
50 citations
DOI 10.1016/j.tetlet.2009.03.127




