{"690724":{"#nid":"690724","#data":{"type":"news","title":"From Island Waste to Packaging Solutions: How Javaz Rolle Found His Path in Sustainable Materials ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrowing up in the Bahamas, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/javaz-rolle-phd-79945a115\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJavaz Rolle\u003C\/a\u003E noticed something that would later shape his research career.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe island nation imports much of what it consumes, yet many local resources are discarded as waste. These include lobster shells, shrimp shells, and other byproducts from the seafood industry.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I noticed that there were a lot of resources that we had on the island that we could use for something in a more sustainable effort, but people weren\u0027t actually using that,\u0022 Rolle said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYears later, that observation would shape the direction of his doctoral research in Chemical Engineering at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a fellow at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/renewablebioproducts.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ERenewable Bioproducts Institute(RBI)\u003C\/a\u003E, Rolle studied sustainable packaging materials made from naturally sourced compounds such as cellulose and chitin, which can be extracted from the shells of crustaceans, including shrimp and lobster.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022As you can imagine, that\u0027s all of your shrimp shells, your lobster shells, all of those, which essentially would just go in the garbage,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the lab, however, those materials became something else entirely.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERolle\u0027s research focused on transforming renewable materials into packaging alternatives capable of mimicking the performance of traditional petroleum-based plastics. The goal was to create materials that could limit the movement of oxygen and moisture, which are two factors that can quickly degrade food, pharmaceuticals, and other products.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe work aligned closely with his long-standing interest in sustainability. Before arriving at Georgia Tech, Rolle had researched ways to reduce microplastics in the environment. When exploring graduate programs, he found a similar research path in the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/carson-meredith-8aa1838\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECarson Meredith\u003C\/a\u003E, executive director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/renewablebioproducts.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ERenewable Bioproducts Institute.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Carson\u0027s research really piqued an interest in me,\u0022 Rolle said. \u0022I was still on the trying-to-reduce-plastics end, but just from a different approach.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstead of addressing plastic pollution after it entered the environment, Rolle\u0027s research explored how biodegradable alternatives could help reduce the problem before it began.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToday, Rolle works as a product development engineer at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sealedair.com\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESealed Air\u003C\/a\u003E, where he helps solve packaging challenges for food products. His days are spent investigating why materials behave the way they do on production lines and determining whether a problem originates in the material itself or somewhere in the manufacturing process.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022If something\u0027s not packaging the way it\u0027s supposed to, we look at the formulation, how they\u0027re running the process, and determine exactly why this is happening,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough his current role focuses on conventional packaging materials, many of the scientific principles remain familiar. The polymer chemistry and barrier-property research that shaped his doctoral work now help him evaluate packaging performance in industry.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut the connection between his research and his career runs deeper than chemistry.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrowing up in the Bahamas taught Rolle to look at materials differently, not simply for what they are, but for what they could become. At Georgia Tech, that perspective led him to transform seafood waste into potential packaging materials. Today, it helps him solve challenges for products used every day.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat began with questions about waste and sustainability has evolved into a career focused on understanding materials and improving how they perform. The setting may have changed from a university research lab to the packaging industry, but the curiosity that first brought him to Georgia Tech continues to guide his work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EInspired by his upbringing in the Bahamas, Georgia Tech alumnus Javaz Rolle transformed seafood waste into sustainable packaging research at RBI, \u0026nbsp;launching a career dedicated to material performance and innovation.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Inspired by his upbringing in the Bahamas, Georgia Tech alumnus Javaz Rolle transformed seafood waste into sustainable packaging research at RBI,  launching a career dedicated to material performance and innovation."}],"uid":"36757","created_gmt":"2026-06-10 20:59:23","changed_gmt":"2026-06-10 21:07:08","author":"ychernet3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680447":{"id":"680447","type":"image","title":"image--1-.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJavaz Rolle Headshot\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1781125581","gmt_created":"2026-06-10 21:06:21","changed":"1781125581","gmt_changed":"2026-06-10 21:06:21","alt":"Javaz Rolle Headshot","file":{"fid":"264709","name":"image--1-.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/10\/image--1-.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/10\/image--1-.png","mime":"image\/png","size":110631,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/06\/10\/image--1-.png?itok=qxILqUNd"}}},"media_ids":["680447"],"groups":[{"id":"372221","name":"Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ychernet3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYanet Chernet\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}