{"id":11762,"date":"2017-12-04T10:53:04","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T15:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/?page_id=11762"},"modified":"2025-12-02T14:23:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T19:23:03","slug":"faculty-experts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/research\/faculty-experts\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/12\/Venditti-with-students-1024x576-1.png\" alt=\"Richard Venditti working alongside two students wearing safety visors in a lab. - Faculty Experts - Forest Biomaterials NC State University\" class=\"wp-image-25855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/12\/Venditti-with-students-1024x576-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/12\/Venditti-with-students-1024x576-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/12\/Venditti-with-students-1024x576-1-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our People Are Our Greatest Asset<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our people are recognized worldwide for their cutting-edge research in advanced manufacturing, novel forest-based biomaterials, paper science and processes, renewable chemicals and energy, business processes and innovation, and sustainable materials and technology. <strong>We are a research powerhouse with an ecosystem built for achievement and collaboration. <\/strong>Our research teams are cross-disciplinary and are often comprised of experts from a variety of fields within Forest Biomaterials, the broader College of Natural Resources, other colleges at NC State and representatives from government agencies, the private sector, industry or other universities.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-text wp-block-ncst-buttons\">\n    \n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-button\">\n      <a\n        class=\"ncst-block__button-link btn\"\n        href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/group\/fb\/\"\n        data-ncst-lightbox=\"false\"\n                      >\n                  <span class=\"text\">Browse Our Faculty and Staff<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n              <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  \n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get to know some of our amazing departmental faculty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/dimitris-s-argyropoulos\/\">Dimitris Argyropoulos<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in the organic chemistry of wood components, developing new chemistry for transforming the carbon in trees into valuable chemicals, materials, and energy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/med-byrd\/\">Med Byrd<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in mechanical, chemical and non-wood pulping and bleaching, as well as agricultural residue processing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/hou-min-chang\/\">Hou-min Chang<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in the chemistry of lignin, pulping and bleaching processes, and pollution abatement in pulp and paper mills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/ronalds-gonzalez\/\">Ronalds Gonzalez<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in conversion economics, and the analysis of finance and supply chain processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/martin-a-hubbe\/\">Martin Hubbe<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in chemical paper additives, colloidal chemistry affecting dewatering, charged nature of cellulosic materials and dry strength development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/hasan-jameel\/\">Hasan Jameel<\/a> \u2013 As a Jordan Distinguished Professor, he specializes in cost-effective methods for upgrading lignin to develop a more profitable biorefinery, specifically by converting biomass to bioenergy and biomaterials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/steve-kelley\/\">Steve Kelley<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in sustainable production of energy and materials from biomass and the application of novel analytical tools to biomass.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/michael-j-kocurek\/\">Michael Kocurek<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in pulp and paper technology, paper properties, and stock prep refining.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/paul-laleicke\/\">Frederik Laleicke<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in wood physics and durability, mass timber products, and wood recycling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/nathalie-lavoine\/\">Nathalie Lavoine<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in nanocellulose-based advanced materials, active and intelligent packaging, and sustainable materials processing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/lucian-lucia\/\">Lucian Lucia<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in green chemistry, fiber and polymer science, environmental sciences, materials science, renewable polymers, and chemical modification of cellulosics for biomedical applications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/philip-h-mitchell\/\">Phil Mitchell<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in value-added wood products and lean manufacturing processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/lokendra-pal\/\">Lokendra Pal<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in sustainable materials science and engineering, functional coatings, digital printing, printed electronics, 3D printing, and lean six sigma processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/sunkyu-park\/\">Sunkyu Park<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in lignocellulosic biomass reactivity, hemicellulose chemistry and cellulose crystalline structures for dissolving pulp application.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/melissa-pasquinelli\/\">Melissa Pasquinelli<\/a> &#8211; Specializes in fibrous and biopolymeric materials, environmental chemistry, interfacial engineering, molecular modeling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/joel-j-pawlak\/\">Joel Pawlak<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in engineering multiphase materials, including porous fibrous web structures, foams, natural super-absorbents, enzymatic manipulation of material structure, nano-scale fiber composites, and novel application of rheological phenomenon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/perry-peralta\/\">Perry Peralta<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in wood physical properties, wood mechanics, statistical process control, and the development of novel forest biomaterials through the application of non-woven technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/ilona-peszlen\/\">Ilona Peszlen<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in wood anatomy and properties, the effects of environment on wood and fiber properties, genetic improvement of wood quality and properties, and utilization of plantation wood.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/richard-phillips\/\">Richard Phillips<\/a> &#8211; Specializes in strategic business practices, leadership and critical thinking in the pulp, paper, and forest product industries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/rico-ruffino\/\">Rico Ruffino<\/a> &#8211; Specializes in industrial and product design in the area of design thinking, development, and prototyping with a concentration in sustainability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/daniel-saloni\/\">Daniel Saloni<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in process improvement, supply chain, biomass and bioenergy conversion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/david-c-tilotta\/\">David Tilotta<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in housing and analytical chemistry, chemical contamination and decontamination of wood and the development of analytical methodology for the detection of organic and inorganic components in wood.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/directory\/richard-venditti\/\">Richard Venditti<\/a> \u2013 Specializes in the processing and utilization of natural polymers in new products and fuels, the fundamentals of separation science in fiber processing and the environmental life cycle analysis of products.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our People Are Our Greatest Asset Our people are recognized worldwide for their cutting-edge research in advanced manufacturing, novel forest-based biomaterials, paper science and processes, renewable chemicals and energy, business&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":0,"parent":11693,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"six","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11762","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11762"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25856,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11762\/revisions\/25856"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}