Professor Rosenau is Chair of Wood, Pulp and Fiber Chemistry. He has carried out fundamental research into the chemistry of wood components with a focus on celluloses and lipophilic antioxidants. In particular the solid state structure of celluloses, the chemistry of cellulose solutions, aging and chromophore formation in cellulosic pulps, and advanced analytics of polysaccharides (profiling of carbonyl and carboxyl functional groups in relation to the molecular weight). He has also worked on the chemistry of biomaterials including cellulosic aerogels, hemicellulose-based nanomaterials and lignin-based hydrogels, and on the fundamental chemistry of phenolic antioxidants.

Dr. Ross currently leads the Engineering Properties of Wood, Wood-Based Materials, and Structures research work unit in Madison. His personal research assignment focuses on non-destructive evaluation techniques and applications. Dr. Ross’ nondestructive evaluation research has focused primarily on: assessment of green wood-based materials (trees, stems, logs, lumber, veneer) and providing inspection and assessment methods for evaluating, in-situ, wood in use. His work on evaluating wood in historic structures has received considerable recognition from preservation groups and has led to the use of nondestructive evaluation methods in assessing historic structures in several countries.

Professor Masahiro Samejima

The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Tokyo, JAPAN

Professor Samejima is currently the vice president of the Japan Wood Research Society. His specialty  is biochemistry on microbial degradation of wood components and related enzymes. For his work on enzymatic degradation of cellulose he has received an award from the Cellulose Society of Japan in 2002. Recently, he was been elected as chairperson of “Bio-fuel Technology Innovation Conference” in Japan to promote R & D on  bio-ethanol production from cellulosic biomass.

Dr. Bruce Sitholé

FPInnovations-Paprican, Pointe-Claire, Québec, Canada

Dr. Sitholé’s particular expertise is the development of new, rapid and accurate analytical procedures for determining lipophilic wood components and additives used in pulp and paper manufacture. Hallmarks of his analytical advances are that they are well proven and sound. The analytical methods developed have been used: to troubleshoot mill process upsets; in new product development; for quality control issues; and to study effluent toxicity episodes due to release of certain additives into effluent streams. His work has saved the industry hundreds of millions of dollars.

Professor Wang has made important contributions advancing basic understanding of vertical density profile formation in wood composites and in development of the step-closing pressing and over-pressing technologies to manipulate density profiles. His patented technique for determination of layer thickness swelling has been licensed to industry. He has pioneered nano-mechanics theory and testing of cellulose materials, including nanoindentation, nano three-point bending and micro-pillar compressing on cell wall, to better understand process-property, structure-property and has  developed methodologies to investigate water vapour sorption statics and kinetics.

Professor Quinglin Wu

Louisiana Forest Products Development Center, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge/ LA, USA

Professor Wu’s research focuses on wood fiber composites in relations to wood quality and processing parameters, composite durability and engineering performance, and biomass-based nano-composite materials. He has published widely in wood-moisture drying stress relationships, durability analysis of structural wood composites, and wood-plastics interfacial bonding analysis and enhancement in wood fiber plastics composites. He currently leads a research team on developing reinforced polymer composites using macro/micro/nano cellulosic fibers, inorganic nano-particles, and in-situ formed micro/nano fibrils from engineering plastics.

Professor Huaiyu Zhan

State Key Lab. of Pulp & Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Professor Zhan’s achievements lie in the fields of plant fiber resource chemistry; morphology and chemical composition of wood, non-wood and recycled fibers; lignin separation, purification and characterization; new technologies in pulping and bleaching; new techniques of waste water treatment and lignin utilization, etc. He has won the prize of science and technology awarded by the Ministry of Education of Guangdong Province, China.

Professor Audrey Zink-Sharp

Dept. of Wood Science & Forest Products, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg/VA, USA

Professor Zink-Sharp leads a team working on quantitative aspects of wood anatomy which has led to several new wood fiber and nano-scale products that rival the strength and lightness of metals and plastics. In addition, these composites can be produced with less than half the energy required to manufacture traditional wood fiber components. Her research encompasses characterization and visualization of both macroscopic and microscopic mechanical properties of wood and wood composites. She designed a mechanical test system that determines engineering properties of individual wood cells, nano-scale lignocellulosic composites, fiber and particulate composites, and full-scale composites.