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2022 Conference Speakers
Plenary Speakers
Mike Burnard
Deputy Director of the InnoRenew CoE
Assistant Professor at the University of Primorska
Adhesion and Wood: Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis of Published Literature
Mike grew up in the forest sector in the Pacific Northwest of the US, first following his father and grandfather around the family sawmill and later working for the company, which became noted for its innovative products, marketing, and operations. He returned to academia in 2010 and completed a Master’s of Science degree in Wood Science at Oregon State University in 2012.
Manfred Dunky
Retired
Challenges of Bio-based Materials from an Industrial Perspective
Manfred Dunky studied Polymer Engineering and Science at the University in Leoben, Austria, and got his PhD 1980 on “Chemical-physical characterization of UF resins for the particleboard industry”.
Greeley Beck
Senior Development Chemist
Dynea
Adhesive systems – for future structural and non-structural wood applications
Greeley obtained his Master’s degree in Wood Science and Engineering from Oregon State University in 2014 and then moved to Norway to pursue his PhD in Wood Technology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
Joseph Jakes
Research Materials Engineer
US Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory
Using Advanced Experimental Tools to Accelerate Wood Adhesive Development
Since 2010 Joseph Jakes has been a Research Materials Engineer in the Forest Biopolymer Science and Engineering group at the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, WI. He received a BS in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2005.
Charles Markessini
R&D Director
Chimar Hellas SA
Adhesive Systems used in the European, Asian, and African Particleboard, MDF, and OSB Industries
He has completed his Chemical Engineering studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Greece, in 2002. In his final thesis, he studied the design of a pilot unit producing urea-formaldehyde resins under continuous flow conditions.
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In 2007 he has completed a two-year master’s course in “Applied Informatics, specialization in Computer Systems” at the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki.
Nayomi Plaza
Materials Research Engineer
US Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory
Nayomi Plaza is a Materials Research Engineer at the US Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (FPL). She received her PhD in Materials Science from the University of Wisconsin Madison in December 2017. Her doctoral dissertation focused on neutron scattering studies on the nanoscale wood-water interactions to elucidate the role of these interactions in the durability of forest products.
Using Advanced Tools to Accelerate Wood Adhesive Development
Lisa Podesto
Senior Business Development Manager
Lendlease Design-Build Americas
Lisa serves as Lendlease’s US-based Timber and Innovation Specialist, responsible for advising construction, development, and design-build projects nationwide where the use of mass timber and componentized solutions are being considered. She supports activities at Lendlease including product development, master planning, design management, cost planning, and pre-construction, guiding early decisions to achieve pioneering, sustainable project delivery, in addition to her leadership and advocacy for timber and low environmental impact building construction.
​​​Mass Timber Opportunities: Through the Eyes of a Developer/General Contractor
Liginin in Adhesives Symposium
Jerry Gargulak
Session Organizer
Business Development Manager
Borregaard Ligno Tech
​Biography Coming Soon
Robert Narron
Session Organizer
Research Scientist
Borregaard Ligno Tech
Experienced Researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the chemicals and biochemicals industry. Skilled in lignocellulosic biomass processing and characterization, statistical data analysis, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Mojgan Nejad
Assistant Professor
Michigan State University
Lignin-based Adhesives for Engineered Wood Products
Mojgan Nejad is an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Forestry and Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science at Michigan State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in applied chemistry and a Ph.D. in Wood Coating.
Mass Timber Manufacturing
Dr. Jinlan Ju
Session Organizer
Technical manager
RM Biltrite
Adhesive Curing Kinetics for CLT
For the past twenty years, Dr. Ju has been working on R&D of chemical related engineering process, specialty chemicals and made significant contributions in the field.
Progress in Traditional Adhesives
Dr. Byung-Dae Park
Professor, IAWS Fellow
Department of Wood and Paper Science
Kyungpook National University
Daegu, Republic of Korea
An Old Adhesive, But a New Story on Urea-Formaldehyde Resins in Wood Bonding
Research Areas:
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Formaldehyde-Based Wood Adhesives
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Wood-Based Bio-Composites
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Nanocellulose-Based Nanocomposites
Luisa Hora de Carvalho
Professor of Wood Science and Engineering
Polytechnic Institute of Viseu Portugal
Impact of urea-formaldehyde synthesis parameters on resin and particleboard properties
Luisa Hora de Carvalho is graduated in Chemical Engineering. She obtained an MSc in Wood Science from the Université Henri Poincaré Nancy I (currently Université de Lorraine) and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from FEUP. She is currently a coordinator professor at ESTGV(IPV-Polytechnic Institute of Viseu) where she teaches in the course of Licenciatura in Furniture Technology and Design and is the President of the Wood Engineering Department Council.
Dr. Tunga Salthammer
Deputy Director, Head of the Department “Material Analysis and Indoor Chemistry”, Adjunct Professor at TU Braunschweig, Germany and Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
The Impact of Aldehydes and Organic Acids on Indoor Air Quality
Tunga Salthammer earned a Doctor of Natural Science degree in Physical Chemistry from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. He joined the Fraunhofer WKI in 1990, from 1996 until 2021 he was head of the Department of Material Analysis and Indoor Chemistry. From January 2010 until October 2010, he was the acting director of WKI, and since March 2011, he is the deputy director of the institute.
Paschalis Tsirogiannis
Chemical Engineer
CHIMAR HELLAS S.A.
High Performance Formaldehyde-based Adhesives: How was the progress achieved?
For almost fifteen years now, he has been working at CHIMAR HELLAS S.A., currently holding the position of Senior Technical Representative. CHIMAR HELLAS S.A. is an industrial R&D company based in Thessaloniki, Greece, which provides technology for the production of adhesive resins and their additives, as well as technology for their application in the wood-based panel industry.
Protein Adhesives Symposium
Dr. Charles Frihart
Session Organizer
Retired
USDA Forest Service, Forest Prodcuts Laboratory
Dr. Frihart is engaged with building bridges between applied and fundamental research, industry and academics, nano-scale processes and macro-scale properties, chemical structures and polymer properties between the United States and foreign researchers. His main area of interest is in adhesives, but the interaction of chemicals with wood has important value from his perspective.
Dr. Qiang Gao
Professor
College of Materials Science and Technology
Beijing Forestry University
DIC has has been used in bondlines before. What's novel?
Dr. Qiang Gao received his Ph.D. degree at Beijing Forestry University, China in 2012. Then he joined the faculty at Beijing Forestry University as a Lecturer and was promoted to Professor in 2018. During 2010 – 2011, he received a scholarship to come to Mississippi State University (MSU) as a joint Ph.D. student working with Prof. Sheldon Shi. In 2011, he won the first place award for the student poster competition at the Annual Convention, Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) in Portland, OR.