NMG Lunchtime Seminar Series: Focus on Biorefineries

Dr Vijay Thakur

Professor in New Products from Biomass, Scotland's Rural College

Research interests

I am a polymer chemist by qualification and materials scientist by training. My research activities span the disciplines of Biorefining, Biomaterials, Green Chemistry, Composites, Manufacturing, Nanomaterials, Polymers, and all aspects of Advanced and Sustainable Materials. 

My group's current research efforts focus on the design, synthesis, characterization and applications of monomers/ polymers from biorenewable resources; biomaterials;  environmental remediation; utilization of waste materials; biofuels and biobased products; recycling; smart materials;  functional surface coatings; polymer aerogel/hydrogel, photocatalysis, sensing, nanotechnology and nanomaterials.

My roles are:

• Lead the Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre  
• Lead research into biorefining, sustainable and advanced materials to understand how the synthesis, composition and macromolecular design affects the overall properties with an eye towards engineering effective and affordable next-generation materials for agriculture, biomedical, automotive and aerospace towards a sustainable bioeconomy.
• Supervision of staff, students and visitors; teaching and external examinations
• Expert committee member for external bodies

Dr Vijai Kumar Gupta

Senior Challenge Research Fellow, Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre

Research interests

Biomass Valorisation to Value-Added Bioproducts Development, Enzyme & Bioprocess Technology (including food bioprocessing technologies), Microbial Secretomics and Glyco-biotechnology, Bioactive Natural Products, and Functional Microbiome Interactions. 

Previous employer

March 2020-July 2020: UM6P University, Morocco;

2019-Feb., 2020: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia;

2016-2019: Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia;

2010-2016: National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland

2009-2010: MITS University, Lakshmangarh, India 

 

Supervision

To date, has experience as a Supervisor/Co-Supervisor of 34 B.Sc. 4th Year Students; 08 M.Sc. Students; 11 PhD students (04 awarded, 03 submitted, 04 under progress) and 06 Postdoc researchers.

Dr Stefan Ioan Voicu

Professor , Department of Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest

Areas of Expertise

- Synthesis and characterisation of polymeric membranes

- Biomedical applications of polymeric membranes

- Functionalization and derivatization of carbon nanotubes

- Functionalization and derivatization of graphene

Dr Meisam Tabatabaei

Professor, Institute of Tropical Aquaculture And Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

I have been actively involved in research projects aimed at enhancing the sustainability features of energy and materials production systems. The development of advanced biorefineries to generate a wide spectrum of value-added products from various waste streams has been among my major interest. Moreover, I have been particularly interested in developing platforms with zero net emissions and waste. Effective compliance with the United Nations` Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been the beating heart of my research and science-to-practice activities over the last decade. Since 2012, I have been working closely with the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) to promote waste-oriented biofuels in the developing world. Since 2016, I have been the lead collaborator of the Lancet Commission on Public Health and Climate Change (UCL, UK) and have co-authored its annual reports published in The Lancet (Impact Factor: 202.7).

Dr Amir Sheikhi

Assistant Professor, Penn State

Research Areas:

Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology; Energy and Environment; Interfaces and Surfaces; Materials and Nanotechnology; Separations and Transport

Interest Areas:

Micro- and Nanoengineering Soft Materials for Medicine and the Environment (Bio-Soft Materials Laboratory, B-SMaL): Microfluidic-enabled biomaterials for tissue engineering and regeneration; living materials; next-generation bioadhesives, tissue sealants, and hemostatic agents; hydrogels for minimally invasive medical technologies; self-healing and adaptable soft materials; smart coatings; hairy nanocelluloses as an emerging family of advanced materials.