Post by Solmaz Hajialilou

🔥Shifting from lab coats to market maps, and discovering a whole new side of innovation! I’ve recently started an internship at Evonik Creavis, exploring business opportunities emerging from the EU’s upcoming PFAS regulatory changes. For me as a materials engineer, this has been a completely new direction: 📈🔎I’m working on market studies, trade flows, value chains, and feasibility assessments, supported by AI-powered analysis using LLMs, instead of lab experiments! What I enjoy most is the mix of worlds: - Engineering mindset👩🏻‍🔬 - Market intelligence📊 - Regulatory foresight📑 - AI-powered analysis🤖 This project is also highly collaborative: 🌏Working across several Evonik departments, including colleagues from Asia and internal technical experts 🎙️Conducting expert interviews with external professionals from companies and research institutes This blend is giving me a broader view of how innovation turns into real impact, beyond the lab and into the market. A big thank you to Dr. Alexander Azzawi and Dr. Arkadi Maisels for their invaluable trust and guidance. More updates to come as Europe moves toward a PFAS-free future....