Speakers

Confirmed Speakers

Key Speaker	Presentation	Description
Dr. María Cristina Area	La RIADICYP, un ejemplo virtuoso de colaboración que trasciende a Iberoamérica	Dr. María Cristina Area, Chemical Engineer with a Ph.D. in Paper Engineering from the University of Quebec, Canada. She is Principal Researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET); Director of the Institute of Materials of Misiones and the Pulp and Paper Program. As a full professor at Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Argentina, Dr. Area specializes in biorefineries, focusing on the production of bioproducts and biomaterials from biomass.
Dr. Gary Chinga-Carrasco	Innovative products from wood pulp fibers	Dr. Gary Chinga-Carrasco, Dr. Ing. from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) with background in Cell Biology and Chemical Engineering. He is the lead scientist at RISE PFI in Norway, where he heads the Biocomposites area. He focuses on fiber-based materials, biocomposites, and biomedical applications, including 3D printing. He was awarded with the Norwegian Award “Treforedlingsprisen 2018” for his nanocellulose research.
Dr. Alain Dufresne	Processing of polysaccharide-based nanocomposites: A critical step in the development of high-performance materials	Professor Alain Dufresne, PhD in Electronics from the National Institute of Applied Sciences at Toulouse, and a MSc in Chemical Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal and in Solid State Physics from Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse. Currently, Professor at The International School of Paper, Print Media and Biomaterials (Pagora) at Grenoble Institute of Technology, France. He has extensive experience in processing and characterizing nanocomposites derived from renewable resources and has been recognized with the 2016 International Nanotechnology Division Award and FiberLean® Technologies Prize awarded by TAPPI, and EPNOE Science Award 2019.
Dr. Orlando J. Rojas	Enabling defossilization technologies based on lignocellulose	Dr. Orlando Rojas, Chemical Engineer with a Ph.D. from Auburn University and postdoctoral training at KTH, Sweden. He is Professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair and the Scientific Director of the Bioproducts Institute at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Rojas is an expert in nanomaterials and renewable materials, specializing in the development of biopolymer-based nanomaterials and sustainable alternatives to fossil resources. He received the 2018 Anselme Payen Award and is an elected Fellow of both the American Chemical Society and the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.
Dr. Soledad Peresin	Sustainable polymer assemblies and their role on alleviating critical environmental issues	Dr. María Soledad Peresin, a Chemical Engineer with a Ph.D. in Forest Biomaterials from North Carolina State University, is an Associate Professor at Auburn University’s College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment (USA), where she also leads the Sustainable Bio-Based Materials Laboratory. Her research focuses on biomass valorization and sustainable polymer assemblies. Dr. Peresin has held leadership roles in various professional associations, including TAPPI and ACS, and is a member of the TAPPI Board of Directors.
M. Sc. Bibiana Rubini	Challenges and opportunities for integrating the bioeconomy in the pulp and paper industry	Bibiana Rubini, Chemical Engineer with an MBA and specialized training from Karstald University. She is the Director of Research, Development, and Bioeconomy at CMPC (Chile) and has 17 years of experience in the pulp and paper industry. She is known for her work in innovation, sustainability, and circularity, and leads efforts in evaluating and leading technical investments and partnerships related to bioeconomy and technological advancements.
Dr. Guillermo Reyes	Harnessing the power of lignocellulose and biology towards cutting-edge carbon-neutral materials	Guillermo Reyes is a Principal Scientist at VTT, currently leading groundbreaking research in biobased carbon-negative technologies. With over 15 years of R&D experience in green chemistry and sustainable materials, Dr. Reyes has a distinguished career that includes a former role as Principal Scientist at Rubi Laboratories-Stanford, where they focused on harnessing synthetic biology for polysaccharide development. Dr. Reyes holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and has served as a professor (12 years), researcher, and director of the Chemical Engineering School at the University of Bío-Bío in Chile. Involved in over 30 papers in top-tier journals and collaborated with more than 40 experts on multidisciplinary projects with renowned institutions, including Aalto University, The University of British Columbia, Eastman Chemical, and Futamura among others.