Biography

Dr. Manju Misra is a professor in the School of Engineering and holds a joint appointment in the Dept. of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph. Dr. Misra’s current research focuses primarily on novel bio-based composites and nanocomposites from agricultural and forestry resources for the sustainable bio-economy targeting the development of bio-based and eco-friendly alternatives to the existing petroleum-based products. She has authored more than 380 publications, including 250+ peer-reviewed journal papers, 25 book chapters, and 15 granted patents. She was an editor of the CRC Press volume, “Natural Fibers, Biopolymers and Biocomposites,” Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL (2005); American Scientific Publishers volume “Packaging Nanotechnology”, Valencia, California, (2009) and “Polymer Nanocomposites”, Springer (2014). She was the chief editor of “Biocomposites: Design and Mechanical Performance” Woodhead Publishing (in press June 2015). She was the 2009 President of the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society (BEPS). She is one of the Associate Editors of the journal “Advanced Science Letters”. In 2012, Dr. Misra received the prestigious “Jim Hammer Memorial Award” in Texas, USA from the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society. Her current research is primarily focused on novel biobased polymers, fibres and composite materials from agricultural and forestry resources for the sustainable bio-economy; and application of nanotechnology in materials uses.

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Research Interest

3D printing of bio-based materials Biofibers and biocomposites, wood fiber and wood/plastic composites Synthesis of bio-polyols from plant oils, their polyurethanes and biocomposites Biobased Polyesters and their Composites Biobased Epoxies and their Composites Bio-based polymers (Polylactides-PLA, Polyhydroxyalkanoates-PHAs, Cellulose plastics, Soy protein plastics, Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles-DDGS plastics, lignin plastics, poly (trimethylene terephthalate) - Sorona Polymer), their blends, composites and nanocomposites Surface treatment of micro and nanofibers and fiber-matrix adhesion Biocomposites from flax, hemp, kenaf, jute, sisal, henequen, cellulose, bamboo, talc and fly ash Reactive extrusion processing Extrusion and injection molding of biocomposites Multilayer injection molding Biocomposite sheet molding compounds Biocomposite powder processing (BioSMC) Microwave processing of biocomposites Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) of biocomposites Novel materials derived from starch and chitosan Thermoplastic and thermoset nanocomposites Nanobiocomposites from carbon nanotubes, alumina nanowhisker, silver nanoparticles and cellulose nanocrystals Electrospinning processing Application of nanotechnology in pathogen detection, air pollution detection and remediation, drug delivery systems, pest detection and control, water treatment, agricultural productivity enhancement and safety