Title: Bioinnovation Accelerates Through a Cross-Disciplinary Framework
Time: Thursday, February 27, 2025, 06:00-07:00 PM Pacific Time (Vancouver)
Speaker: Orlando Rojas, Ph.D.
Professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair and
Scientific Director Bioproducts Institute, bpi.ubc.ca/
Departments of Chemical & Biological Engineering | Chemistry | Wood Science
The University of British Columbia
E-mail: orlando.rojas@ubc.ca
www: https://rojas.chbe.ubc.ca/ | Office: +1-604-822-3457
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Dr. Orlando Rojas
Professor Orlando Rojas is a Canada Excellence Research Chair at the University of British Columbia and the Director of the Bioproducts Institute. He is internationally renowned for his work in biobased and sustainable materials and soft matter. Among his many prestigious honors is the Anselme Payen Award, the highest recognition in cellulose and renewable materials research. He is also an elected Fellow of both the American Chemical Society (2013) and the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (2017).
Earlier in his career, Dr. Rojas held the title of Finland Distinguished Professor and was named an inaugural North Carolina State University Faculty Scholar. He is also a recipient of the European Research Council Advanced Grant, one of the most prestigious research grants in Europe. He maintains collaborations with universities in Europe, South America, China and Malaysia.
Prof. Rojas serves on the Selection Committee of the Marcus Wallenberg Foundation and holds scientific advisory roles for several organizations, including the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, the VALUED project with Imperial College, Bristol and Cambridge and the Materials Institute of the University of Santiago de Compostela (iMATUS). He is an Emeritus Editor of the Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology and an Associate Editor of ACS Biomacromolecules.
With approximately 600 peer-reviewed publications, Prof. Rojas’ contributions to biobased colloids have garnered an h-index of 104 and over 48,000 citations. He ranks among the top 1% of researchers globally by citations (Clarivate, Web of Science).
Abstract
I will present recent activities at the Bioproducts Institute (UBC, Canada), focusing on strategies to organize cross-disciplinary research clusters that drive impactful innovations in the circular bioeconomy. The discussion will highlight several research lines on cellulose and lignin valorization, as well as liquid-in-liquid assembly for controlling material organization into hierarchical architectures. This approach enables independent control of morphology at both millimeter and meter scales.
Additionally, I will explore processing routes that transform low-value residual biomass into high-performance, all-green materials derived from cellulose fibers and chitin. These materials demonstrate recyclability and biodegradability in natural environments, addressing challenges related to circularity and the end-of-life of non-renewable products. Given the low cost of raw materials, their inherent microstructural design, and self-adhesion properties, this work presents fully sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products. The impact of these technologies hinges on our ability to precisely control interactions between material components, making them ideal platforms for synthesizing functional constructs across diverse applications.