As Associate Director for RBI, Pulp & Paper, my concentration lies in the more traditional member companies of the former Institutes of Paper Chemistry and Paper Science & Technology, ensuring our research and services are focused on their evolving needs. We have a rich history in lignocellulosic research, spanning more than 85 years from our roots in Appleton, WI to our move to Georgia Tech. Our name change in 2014 reflected our continued commitment not only to expand, but enhance and adapt our capabilities and technologies to encompass the 21st century opportunities and challenges facing the industry. At the same time, our foundation remains committed to traditional pulp and paper and in operational excellence. This is exemplified in our close ties with Agenda 2020 Roadmaps. The industry continues to rely on RBI - and the cross-disciplinary capabilities of Georgia Tech - to deliver breakthrough research.
In addition, two other Associate Directors have been named for RBI, fully embracing the breadth of capabilities brought to bear on behalf of our member companies:
Matthew Realff, Ph.D.
Professor, ChBE
Associate Director, RBI
Office: ES&T L1228
(404) 894-1834
matthew.realff@chbe.gatech.edu
Dr. Matthew J. Realff is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech and David Wang Senior Faculty Fellow. He has been at Georgia Tech since 1993, after completing his bachelor's degree at Imperial College London and Ph.D. in chemical engineering at MIT in 1992. He was National Science Foundation (NSF) program director from 2005-2007 and currently serves as an NSF external expert in resilient infrastructure systems. He co-chaired the 2013 American Chemistry Society Green Chemistry Conference. In December 2013 he was appointed Associate Director of the Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute and in 2014 as Associate Director of the Renewable Bioproducts Institute to help develop programs in chemicals and fuels.
Meisha Shofner
Associate Professor, MSE
Office: MRDC- 4409
(404) 385-7216
meisha.shofner@mse.gatech.edu
Dr. Meisha L. Shofner is an Associate Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, joining the faculty following post-doctoral training at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and her Ph.D. in Materials Science from Rice University. Prior to beginning graduate school, she was employed as a design engineer at FMC in the Subsea Engineering Division, working at two plant locations (Houston, Texas and the Republic of Singapore), and she is a registered Professional Engineer in Georgia. At Georgia Tech, Dr. Shofner’s research group is concerned with structure-property relationships in polymer nanocomposite materials and with producing structural hierarchy in these materials for structural and functional applications. This research has been recognized by the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associate Universities and the Solvay Advanced Polymers Young Faculty Award.
