Professor Valsami-Jones’ research interests focus on understanding reactivity at the nanoscale, particularly interactions of nanoparticles with pollutants and biota and biomineralisation processes. She has carried out research on the interaction of a variety of carbon- and metal-based nano-objects with biota in vitro and in vivo and has pioneered novel methods of labelling nanomaterials. She has also worked on understanding the formation and stability of biogenic apatite.
Professor Valsami-Jones obtained a first degree in Earth Sciences from the Universtity of Athens (Greece) and a PhD in Geochemistry from the University of Newcastle. She carried out post-doctoral research at the University of Leeds and then University of Bristol, prior to joining the Natural History Museum’s department of Mineralogy in 1996, where she led the Nanosciences Group. She joined the University of Birmingham as Professor of Geosystems Nanoscience in September 2011.