WEBSITE
https://www.canr.msu.edu/auras/index
BIOGRAPHY
I am a Professor at the School of Packaging at Michigan State University. I lead a research group of graduate and undergraduate students, and postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars interested on developing novel biobased and biodegradable polymers, tailoring polymer biodegradability, and designing sustainable packaging systems. Our team have conducted research projects for Fortune 500 companies and government sponsored research projects. I am a regular speaker at national and international conferences. I have co-authored two books and 13 book chapters, and co-edited two books. With my team, we have coauthored more than 200 publications and been part of more than 250 oral or poster presentations for professional organizations. I graduated with a B.Sc. in chemical engineering from the FCEQyN, Misiones, Argentina, an M.Sc. in Materials Science and Technology from the UNSAM, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a Ph.D. in packaging from MSU, East Lansing, MI, U.S. I live in Okemos, Mi with my wife and two sons.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
- the creation of new sustainable packaging. We are focusing on the development of new biobased polymer blends and composites, and their modifications.
- the design of new active packaging systems.
- the evaluation of the end of life scenario of different packaging systems. We consider different end of life scenarios such as composting and recycling, and evaluate the environmental footprint of packaging systems using state of the art laboratory techniques and tools such as life cycle assessment and systemic sustainability analysis.