IPST students earn degrees from four Schools at Georgia Tech. Here’s a brief introduction to the Chairs of the Schools of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Chemistry and Biochemistry; Materials Science and Engineering; and Mechanical Engineering.

School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Dr. David S. Sholl is the new chair of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering, at Georgia Tech.  He assumed his new duties on July 1, 2013.

Dr. Sholl’s research group has published in the areas of computational materials modeling, porous materials for carbon capture applications, membranes for gas separation, and heterogeneous catalysis. 

Dr. Sholl’s research in membrane technology and carbon capture includes work impacting the paper industry.   Dr. Sholl’s presentation at the May 2011 IPST executive conference focused on the possible application of membrane technology to treat black liquor and the possible use of carbon capture technology to reduce gas emissions—carbon dioxide emissions in particular— from boilers.

Dr. Sholl earned his PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Colorado and did postdoctoral research at both Yale University and The Pennsylvania State University. 

Dr. Sholl’s presentation from the 2011 IPST conference can be found at:
http://www.ipst.gatech.edu/exec-conf/2011/presentations/07-Sholl.pdf

School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Dr. Andrew Lyon joined Georgia Tech in 1999 and was named Chair of the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 2013.

IPST students seeking degrees from the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry are involved in a wide range of research with paper industry implications.  These projects include examining the characteristics of pseudo-lignin, increasing the rate of propagation of Loblolly Pine, and exploring new nanocomposite films.

Dr. Lyon’s group works on a wide range of systems around the common theme of soft materials chemistry including synthesis of hydrogel-based materials, physics of colloidal dispersions, and fabrication of nanostructured assemblies. Applied efforts have grown out of these studies that will assist in the delivery therapeutic drugs.  Dr. Lyon’s group also works with collaborators in engineering and clinical disciplines in the development of new biomaterials that resist thrombosis and assemblies designed to control blood clotting.

Dr. Lyon earned his PhD and MS at Northwestern University and his BA from Rutgers University.

School of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Naresh Thadhani became chair of the School of Materials Science and Engineering in 2012. He began his Georgia Tech career in 1992.

Dr. Thadhani’s group has participated in investigations of novel coatings for the paper and packaging business. IPST students in the MSE school are working on projects such as using biomimicry to develop optical coatings and studying the corrosion of stainless steel papermaking equipment.

Dr. Thadhani’s research focuses on studies of shock-induced physical, chemical, and mechanical changes for processing of novel materials and for probing the deformation and fracture response of metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites, subjected to high-rate impact loading conditions.

Dr.Thadhani earned his PhD Physical Metallurgy from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, his MS inMetallurgical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and his BE in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Rajasthan, India.

The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Wepfer began his career at Georgia Tech as an assistant professor in 1980 and was named Chair of the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering in 2008.

IPST students in a ME degree program are conducting research on important matters for the paper industry including black liquor evaporation technology, energy use reduction in papermaking, and Norway spruce somatic embryogenesis.

Dr. Wepfer's research interests are in thermal systems, heat transfer, and thermodynamics. A current research project is in textile drying and processing aimed at more efficient drying of textile composites. Another research area centers on solid oxide fuel cell systems, which is a high efficiency device for the conversion of chemical to electrical energy. Such technology has application for the power generation market that, as a result of deregulation, is moving toward smaller-scale decentralized power generation systems.

Dr. Wepfer earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his MS from Stanford University, and his BS from Marquette University.