Lucian Lucia Appointed TAPPI Fellow

TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry) is the international professional association for the pulp & paper industry. TAPPI facilitates collaboration, research, and support across the different companies that make up the industry. Each year, the Association elects a select number of individuals as Fellows. To be eligible for consideration to be a Fellow, the individual must have been a TAPPI member for at least ten years and provided meritorious service to the Association and/or industry. To receive recognition as a Fellow is an incredibly prestigious honor.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Lucian Lucia for being elected as a member of the 2022 class of TAPPI Fellows. Dr. Lucia has devoted 18 years of tireless service to our department, helping to build and develop our graduate programs and green chemistry research. Dr. Lucia joins nine other department faculty members, including Drs. Chang, Hubbe, Jameel, Hakovirta, Kocurek, Phillips, Venditti, Byrd, and Pal all of whom are Fellows, a cohort which represents the highest number of TAPPI Fellows at any university.

When asked what being recognized as a Tappi Fellow meant to him, Dr. Lucia said, “The distinction of TAPPI Fellow represents a huge milestone in my career. It is a recognition of my strong commitment to the success of the pulp & paper industry as evidenced by service to our PSE students, editorial duties at TAPPI Journal, the importance of our international journal BioResources and its many student scholarships, contributions to TAPPI Conferences and Meetings, and various volunteer service roles. I am so grateful to be a part of TAPPI which has significantly enriched my life and professional networks.

Dr. Lucia received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in Organic Chemistry before starting his career as an assistant professor at Georgia Tech’s then Institute of Paper Science and Technology. While there, his research focused on singlet oxygen’s chemistry with lignin and cellulose. In 2004, Dr. Lucia decided to transition to NC State in order to continue his biomass research and teach at the undergraduate level at a world class university. In addition to his work at the undergraduate level, he worked heavily to build and develop the Forest Biomaterials graduate program. Over the last 17 years, he has helped to mold the program into its current state, an accomplishment of which he is very proud.

In addition to his work here at NC State, Dr. Lucia also serves as a Distinguished Professor of Green Chemistry at Qilu University of Technology in Jinan, Shandong province, China. He has been a part of the university since 2004 when its paper science programs were just getting off the ground. He counts getting to work with the university and people there a tremendous blessing, saying, “The Chinese people are like a watermelon. From the outside, they are a strong, tough people, but they are very sweet and beautiful once they bring you inside their culture. It has been a joy to see them every year and build a partnership with them. It is very difficult for me to travel there each year, but it is so fulfilling to go. In Chinese culture, friendships take years to cultivate, but they stay with you through thick and thin.” Dr. Lucia went on to say that getting to share his life with the students at Qilu University has been a great joy over his years there since his sabbatical in 2014.

A part of Dr. Lucia’s research focuses on modifying cellulose for biomedical applications. He remembers how as a child he was interested in the life sciences and dreaming up products that support life. He enjoyed thinking about how the sciences can help to explain nature. He counts himself blessed that he gets to marry his love for lignocellulosic materials with his childhood passion for biomedical sciences. He has focused recently on tissue engineering, including a project to develop materials that can staunch traumatic blood flow by efforts to amplify blood clotting. Dr. Lucia also mentioned how grateful he is that the research culture at NC State fosters cross-discipline collaboration that has allowed him to work with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, where he enjoys an affiliate faculty appointment.

When asked what type of legacy he wants to leave behind, Dr. Lucia recalled an encounter he had while he was teaching quantum mechanics at the School of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Georgia Tech. A graduate student there found out that Dr. Lucia was studying paper chemistry and asked, “What is there to study about paper?” Since that encounter, Dr. Lucia has made it his mission to help others recognize how important paper and other lignocellulosic materials are in our everyday lives as well as the elegant green chemical transformations they can display. He has done this through work and presentations here at NC State and other universities, his publications and presentations, and work done with TAPPI. His passion for lignocellulosic materials drives him to show others that they are not only the future, but they also enrich so many parts of our lives, including physical, mental, and spiritual needs.

Dr. Lucia’s passion for people comes through in every conversation. His favorite part of his job is being around students. He explains that he loves feeling their energy and passion. He has made it his avocation, joy, and love to serve his students. He elaborated that he feels a responsibility to not only teach, but teach and serve well, both inside and outside of the classroom.

Dr. Lucia also mentioned that he thoroughly enjoys activities that get him outside in nature. He enjoys being free of computers and enclosed spaces, and relishes hiking, kayaking, canoeing and wood work. He spends weekends outdoors with friends and family enjoying downtime and sharing time together.