Melanie Hoehl, Current Fellow
- Year
- 2009-2010
- From
- Germany
- Sector
- Healthcare
- Location
- Panama
- Degree
-
2012 PhD, Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology
“At present, there is no simple, specific method to detect the relevant levels of (di-)ethylene glycol contamination on an industrial scale, particularly in third-world countries that may be most vultnerable to contaminated goods and have the health systems least capable of responding… what is needed is a simple, robust, inexpensive test to detect ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol contamination in a whole range of materials and products.”
As a current MIT PhD student, Melanie has been developing a low-cost detection method for (di-)ethylene glycol and other toxic substances in household products, such as toothpaste and medicines, that has repeatedly caused lethal mass poisonings in developing countries. Melanie and her colleagues have received a provisional US patent. Melanie's proposed business will sell the detection device to government control centers, traders, companies, and consumers in developing countries. Melanie holds her BA in chemical engineering from Cambridge University where she ranked first in her College and was awarded the academic scholarship and chemical engineering prize. During her undergraduate studies at Cambridge, Melanie received mentoring from the Director of Biochemistry at Roche Diagnostics, a pharmaceutical company, and visited the Roche's facilities in Penzberg, Germany. Melanie's experience at Roche afforded her first-hand perspective on the impact of fundamental research on business. Melanie is a 2008 UK winner and world finalist for the L'Oreal Ingenius engineering competition. Melanie was also the recipient of a German National Merit Foundation scholarship, and a Boston Consulting Group Ambassador Scholarship.
