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Intranet

    Amar Mohanty

    PhD

    Amar Mohanty, PhD

    Professor and Distinguished Research Excellence Chair in Sustainable Materials, Fellow RSC (Canada), Fellow AIChE, Fellow SPE, Fellow RSC (UK), Fellow IIChE(India), Director of Bioproducts Discovery & Development Centre (BDDC)

    College of Engineering, Interdisciplinary Engineering

    mohanty@uoguelph.ca
    (519) 824-4120, Ext. 58935
    Office:Crop Science Building, Room 215
    Personal Website

    Research Areas

    • Biological Engineering

    Brief Bio

    Amar Mohanty is a Full Professor & Distinguished Research Excellence Chair in Sustainable Materials and the Director of the Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is a former Michigan State University Professor. He currently holds a Visiting Professor status at the University of Portsmouth, UK, and Kalinga Institute of Technology, India. Additionally, Prof. Mohanty holds a Distinguished Scientist status at the University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials, USA.

    Prof. Mohanty is an international leader in the field of sustainable materials, bioplastics, biocomposites and advanced biorefinery. His research focuses on engineering value-added uses of biomass wastes, waste plastics and industrial co-products from agro-food and biofuel industries. Circular bioeconomy, environmental sustainability, waste plastic valorization, biodegradable plastics as single-use plastic alternatives, biocarbon based composites and 3D printing of sustainable materials are other areas of his expertise.

    Prof. Mohanty is the Editor-in-Chief of Sustainable Composites, Composites Part C -Open Access; an ELSEVIER journal.

    He is a highly cited researcher with more than 850 publications to his credit, including 501 peer-reviewed journal papers, 71 patents (awarded/applied), 8 edited books, over 500 conference presentations and 30 book chapters. Link to Prof. Mohanty's Google Scholar.

    Prof. Mohanty is a Fellow of: (i) the Royal Society of Canada, (ii) the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, (iii) the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), (iv) the Society of Plastic Engineers.

    Prof. Mohanty has received many awards, including the (i) Miroslaw Romanowski Medal from the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), (ii) JL White Innovation Award from the international Polymer Processing Society (PPS), (iii) Synergy Award for Innovation from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), (iv) Andrew Chase Forest Products Division Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and (v) the Lifetime Achievement Award from the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society (BEPS), USA.

    Awards, Honours, and Distinctions

    2025RPG Life Science Padma Vibhushan Prof M M Sharma Medal and CHEMCON Distinguished Speaker Award 2025, Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, India
    2025Professor J. N. Mukherjee Memorial Award, Indian Chemical Society, India
    2025Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award, Chemical Institute of Canada, Canada
    2024Professor S K Sharma Medal & CHEMCON Distinguished Speaker Award, Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, India
    2024 - PresentDistinguished Research Excellence Chair in Sustainable Materials, Univeristy of Guelph and Competitive Green Technologies, Canada
    2023 - PresentFellow, Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE)
    20222022 RSC Miroslaw Romanowski Award Lecture, Royal Society of Canada, Canada
    2022Prof. Dr. Gokulananda Mahapatra Oration Award 2022, Prof. Dr. Gokulananda Nityananda Mahapatra Foundation, India
    2021Miroslaw Romanowski Medal, Royal Society of Canada, Canada
    2020 – PresentFellow, Royal Society of Canada, Canada
    2020 – PresentOAC Distinguished Research Chair in Sustainable Biomaterials, University of Guelph, Canada
    2020JL White Innovation Award, Polymer Processing Society, USA
    2019 – PresentFellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK
    2019 – PresentFellow, Society of Plastics Engineers, USA
    2019Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence, Odisha Bigyan Academy, India
    2019OAC Alumni Distinguished Researcher Award, University of Guelph, Canada
    2018 – PresentFellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, USA.
    2018NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada
    2017 – 2020Research Leadership Chair Award, University of Guelph, Canada
    2017Highly Prolific Author, American Chemical Society (ACS) Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, USA
    2017Featured Canadian Author, Selected for ACS Publications Open Access Virtual Issue “Hot Materials in a Cool Country” - articles authored by Canadians to celebrate the 100th Canadian Chemistry Conference
    2016

    University of Guelph’s Innovation of the Year Award, Canada.

    For the creation of the 100% Compostable Bio-composite Resin; additional awards for this innovation visit: http://purpod100.com/awards/

    2015Lifetime Achievement Award, BioEnvironmental Polymer Society, USA
    2012“Gold Medal” and Certificate, International Conference on Composites Interfaces, (Interface21).
    2011Jim Hammar Memorial Service Award, BioEnvironmental Polymer Society, USA
    2011 – 20155 Year Visiting Professorship, South China University, China
    2008 – 2020Premier’s Research Chair in Biomaterials & Transportation, University of Guelph, Canada (Endowed Research Chair awarded for 12 years)
    2006Andrew Chase Forest Products Division Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, USA
    1999Prof. R. C. Tripathy Memorial Award (Young Scientist Award), Orissa Chemical Society
    1998 – 1999Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Fellowship, AvH Foundation, Germany
    1980Gold medal, Utkal University, Orissa being 1st Class 1st in M.Sc (Chemistry)

    Research Interests

    • Sustainable Materials
    • Bioeconomy and Circular Economy
    • Light-weight sustainable composites for Automotive Parts
    • Thermally Stable and Lightweight Electric Vehicle Parts with reduced to zero flammability
    • Pyrolysis of waste biomass, Non-recyclable Waste Plastics and Biocarbon based Composites
    • Biodegradable Plastics and Bioplastics
    • Ecofriendly Flame Retardants
    • Sustainable and Green Biodegradable Packaging
    • Single-use Plastic Alternatives

    International Affiliations

    • Visiting Professor, Faculty of Technology, University of Portsmouth, UK (2022 - Present)
    • Adjunct Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, USA (2023 - Present)
    • Visiting Professor, Kalinga Institute of Technology, Odisha, India (2026 - Present)
    • Distinguished Scientist, University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials, USA (2026 - Present)

    External Links

    Amar Mohanty | Plant Agriculture

    Amar Mohanty | Bioproducts Discovery & Development Centre

    Selected Recent Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications

    Complete List of Publications

    • Jahangiri, F., Mohanty, A. K., & Misra, M. (2024). "Sustainable biodegradable coatings for food packaging: challenges and opportunities."Green Chem., Advance Article.
      Article Link:https://doi.org/10.1039/D3GC02647G
    • Hassan, M., Mohanty, A.K., & Misra,M. (2024). "Additive manufacturing of a super toughened biodegradable polymer blend: Structure–Property-Processing correlation and 3D printed prosthetic part development." ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2024, 6, 7, 3849–3863.
      Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.3c03150
    • Weldekidan, H., Mohanty, A. K., Drzal, L. T., & Misra, M. (2024). "Graphene-containing biocarbon from burlap waste: property comparison with commercial grade graphene nanoplatelets." Carbon Trends, 15, 100336.
      Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cartre.2024.100336
    • Mohanty, A. K., Vivekanandhan, S., Das, O., M, R. M. L., Klinghoffer, N. B., Nzihou, A., & Misra, M. (2024)."Biocarbon materials." Nat Rev Methods Primers 4, 19.
      Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-024-00297-4
    • Pesaranhajiabbas E, Mohanty AK, Al-Abdul-Wahid MS, Misra M. "A new approach for grafting plasticized cellulose acetate biodegradable plastic with maleic anhydride: Processing and characterization." SPE Polym. 2024; 1-11.
      Article Link: http://doi.org/10.1002/pls2.10121
    • Hassan, M., Mohanty, A. K., & Misra, M. (2023). "3D Printing in Upcycling Plastic and Biomass Waste to Sustainable Polymer Blends and Composites: A Review". Materials & Design, 237, 112558.
      Article Link:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2023.112558
    • Itabana, B.E., Pal, A.K., Mohanty, A.K., Misra, M. (2023). “Biodegradable blown film composite from poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and talc: Effect of uniaxial stretching on mechanical and barrier properties”. Food Packaging and Shelf Life, 39, 101147.
      Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2023.101147
    • Mohanty, A.K., Vivekanandhan, S., Tripathi, N., Roy, P., Snowdon, M., Drzal, L.T., Misra, M. (2023). “Sustainable Composites for Lightweight and Flame Retardant Parts for Electric Vehicles to Boost Climate Benefits: A Perspective”. Composites Part C: Open Access, 12, 100380.
      Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomc.2023.100380
    • Roy, P., Mohanty, A.K., Dick, P., Misra, M. (2023). "A review on challenges and choices for food waste valorization: Environmental and economic impacts".ACS Environmental Au, 3, 58-75.
      Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenvironau.2c00050
    • Mohanty, A.K., Wu, F., Mincheva, R., Hakkarainen, M., Raquez., JM., Mielewski, D.F., Narayan, R., Netravali, A.N., Misra, M. (2022). “Sustainable Polymers”.Nature Reviews Methods Primers, 2(1), 46.
      Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-022-00124-8
    • Mohanty, A. K., Vivekanandhan, S., Pin, J. M., & Misra, M. (2018). Composites from renewable and sustainable resources: Challenges and innovations. Science, 362(6414), 536-542.
      Article Link: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aat9072

    Funded Graduate Opportunities available in my research group - PhD, M.A.Sc & MEng in Biological Engineering*

    This graduate opportunity is for graduate students pursuing a degree in Biological Engineering for the following research areas in my team.

    • Biomedical Applications for Bioplastics and Biocomposites
    • 3D Printing of Bioplastics and Biocomposites
    • Bioplastics and Biobased Polymers
    • Biocomposites (Natural Fibre Composites) and Polymer Blends
    • Green Composites including Recyclability, Durability and Biodegradability Studies
    • Biobased Nanocomposites and Nanoblends
    • Biomass and Biomaterials Sustainability
    • Value-added Biobased Materials from the Coproducts/Byproducts of Biofuel Industries
    • Biodegradability (Compostability)

    For entry in the PhD Biological Engineering program, candidates must hold a thesis-based Master’s degree in engineering.

    For entry in the M.A.Sc./MEng programs, candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Science.

    If your first language is not English, you will be required to submit the results of a standardized language test. Please see the chart for acceptable tests and required scores. Please refer to the School of Engineering website for department requirements.

    For more information on how to apply, please contact me by e mail:

    bddcjobs@uoguelph.ca with a copy to mohanty@uoguelph.ca

    Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the positions are filled.

    A preliminary selection will be made based on the interviews to qualify the prospective candidate to apply for graduate studies at the University of Guelph. Selection does not guarantee acceptance for graduate studies.

    *Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

    Relevant Files

    • 5pg_CV_AmarMohanty_April 1, 2025.pdf