TAPPI Journal Announces New Editorial Board Members

(ATLANTA) November 12, 2024 –TAPPI Journal (TJ) welcomes four new members to its Editorial Board, continuing the publication’s longstanding commitment to provide comprehensive, peer-reviewed research to the forest products industry. These new members will lend expertise in their respective areas, as described below, by guiding individual papers through the publication process in conjunction with peer reviewers.

“We are excited that these four new Editorial Board members have joined our ranks," said Doug Coffin, TJ Editor-in-Chief. "Their addition to the Ed Board allows us to ensure that the journal provides high quality technical articles of relevance to the evolving forest products industry."

Biljana M. Bujanović, Ph.D., is a supervisory research general engineer at the USDA-FS-Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), Madison, WI, in the Fiber and Chemical Sciences Research group. Her current work focuses on wood chemistry, lignin properties and lignin-based products, nanocellulose, and lignocellulosic biorefinery developments, among others. Since 2020, she has held the title of Emeritus Associate Professor at The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), reflecting her 14-year career during which she held various positions, including assistant professor, associate professor, and associate chair of the Chemical Engineering Department. Bujanović holds a doctorate in wood chemistry from Belgrade University, Serbia, as well as a doctorate in paper science and engineering from Western Michigan University.

Ewellyn Capanema, Ph.D., is a principal scientist at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, where she leads research in lignin and wood chemistry that aims to unlock its potential for industrial applications and support development of sustainable technologies. Capanema also held senior R&D positions at leading biorefinery companies in Canada and the United States.

Throughout her career, she has helped develop advanced analytical methods for characterization of lignin and contributed to the advancement of lignocellulosic conversion processes. Capanema holds a doctorate in science from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, with a focus on wood and lignin chemistries.

Joice Kaschuk, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter group at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. She is an expert in biorefinery, processability, modification, conversion, and characterization of biomass and wood from macro to nanoscale for multifunctional and advanced applications. Her university team, “Biobased Solutions for Modern World,” seeks to make the production of biobased nanomaterials more sustainable and find solutions for urgent and emerging problems like water treatment, packaging, livable and workable physical spaces, and medicine. Kaschuk holds a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Sao Paulo.

Diego Gomez-Maldonado, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University where he researches materials for neural tissue engineering. He is also incoming Assistant Professor of Biopolymers for Biomedical Applications at Texas Tech University. His expertise encompasses biopolymer surface chemistry, characterization, and 3-D assembly. Gomez-Maldonado’s current research focus is on the development of sustainable bio-based materials that achieve optimal health outcomes for people, animals, and the environment. He holds a doctorate in forest biomaterials from Auburn University. 

TJ’s open access format provides the industry immediate, free access to the latest research as soon as each issue is published.  Prospective authors from academic and research institutions, as well as speakers who present scientific papers at conferences, are encouraged to submit their research for peer review and consideration for publication in TJ. As an added incentive, authors are eligible for the $2,000 Honghi Tran TAPPI Journal Best Research Paper Prize presented at TAPPICon. Learn more and submit abstracts at tappi.org/tjsubmit.