RBI announces 2019-20 Fellowship awards

The Renewable Bioproducts Institute has announced four new Fellowship awards for the upcoming academic year. 

The selected projects include:

“Control of Fiber Orientation in Dispersion of Microbubbles with Application to Multiphase Web Forming,” Professor Cyrus Aidun (ME) and Associate Chair and Professor Devesh Ranjan (ME)

“Degradation and Recycling of Paper Towels and Packaging: Triggered Degradation of Crosslinks,” Assistant Professor Blair Brettmann (ChBE/MSE) and Associate Professor Stefan France (CHEM)

“Non-thermal Fractionation of Crude Tall Oil and Crude Sulfate Turpentine,” Associate Professor Ryan Lively (ChBE) and School Chair and Professor M.G. Finn (CHEM)

“Advancing Nanocellulose-Based Barrier Packaging: Performance and Manufacturability via Hybrids with Soluble Polysaccarides and Metal Oxides,” Professor Carson Meredith (ChBE) and Professor Natalie Stingelin (MSE/ChBE)

The lead faculty of each project will recruit students to join their teams in the fall.  

Each year, the executive director of RBI issues a Request for Proposals (RFP) to Georgia Tech faculty. Fellowships are awarded based on alignment with the strategic thrusts of Georgia Tech and RBI, and the research priorities of the forest bioproducts industry.

The Fellowships are funded through a major grant awarded to Georgia Tech from the Institute of Paper Chemistry Foundation (IPCF) in 2014. One of the largest gifts in Georgia Tech’s history, it affirmed the Institute’s position as the leading driver in the forest bioproducts arena. This gift constitutes the funding that supports the RBI graduate research fellowships.

The Fellowship supports approximately 40 students each year who conduct faculty-directed research to advance technologies and applications in the bioeconomy.

For more information about the RFP and the Fellowship program, visit our website.