Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a Finnish-Polish American, born and raised in Minnesota, USA. I moved to Finland for my master’s studies in 2020, and after graduating, I spent 3 years at Metsä Spring Oy as an R&D Engineer developing foam-formed molded fiber products. With my move to Sweden, I am now living in my 13th address in the last 10 years. I spend my summers on the water sailing, kayaking, and windsurfing. However, when the water is frozen, I take to baking, painting, and wandering the forest with my Portuguese Water Dog.

What about your educational background?

I have always been passionate about polymers, especially improving their sustainability. I earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Polymer Science and Engineering from Michigan Technological University in the US. I then completed my master’s degree in Fibre and Polymer Engineering at Aalto University in Finland. I have performed experiments with various biobased polymers in applications including coatings, papermaking additives, and packaging substrates. My focus has been on developing sustainable biobased materials that can measure up to the properties of traditional plastics and applying them to packaging applications.

What can you tell us about the new associated project you’re a part of?

Project #29 aims to apply dynamic covalent bonds to crosslink cellulose fibers. These dynamic covalent bonds form crosslinked covalent adaptable networks that perform as thermosets until activated by stimuli, such as heat, transforming the material’s behavior to that of a thermoplastic through exchange reactions at the dynamic bond sites. When applied to cellulose fibers, we will look for durability, thermoprocessability, and improved water resistance, which is a consistent issue among cellulose-based materials. We will keep the biodegradability of the new material in mind as crosslinking tends to restrict degradation.