New Faculty

PRESS RELEASE

Institute of Paper Science and Technology
500 10th Street, NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30318-5794
404 894-9592

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact: David Bell, Director of Institute Development and Assessment (404) 894-9592

Institute of Paper Science and Technology Growing with Highly Qualified Research Talent

ATLANTA—January 31, 2003—Two new senior researchers and one new faculty member have recently joined the research team at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST).

Dr. Ingrid Nohlgren joins the faculty as an assistant professor of chemical recovery and gasification. Dr. Nohlgren’s research has focused on black liquor gasification (BLG) to maximize energy efficiency and chemical recovery. Nohlgren earned her master’s in chemical engineering from Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden, in 1997 and her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Luleå University of Technology in 2002.

Dr. Christopher Verrill has also joined the Institute, accepting a position as a senior associate engineer in the conventional recovery and BLG programs. Dr. Verrill has a strong academic and industrial research background from his experience in black liquor gasification development and evaporator and recovery boiler improvement at McDermott Technology Inc. and Westvaco. Verrill earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Maine at Orono and his graduate degrees from The Institute of Paper Chemistry and the Institute of Paper Science and Technology. He has authored ten peer-reviewed publications and holds two U.S. patents.

Dr. Roman Popil has joined the Institute as a senior associate scientist in the area of paper physics. He is the lead researcher for the Engineered Packaging and Products program where the immediate focus will be to validate predictive models for enhanced box performance based on component physical properties. Popil earned his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, where he conducted experimental research in plasma physics. He has extensive paper industry experience gained at Honeywell-Measurex and MacMillan Bloedel Research while developing and utilizing new paper-quality measurement technologies.

The appointment of these new researchers will strengthen the capabilities of IPST in response to changes in industry needs. Dr. David Orloff, dean of research at IPST, explains, “In recent years the research needs of the paper industry have changed. The paper industry today is more focused than ever before on less capital-intensive, more efficient technologies that can improve economic and environmental performance. As the industry refocuses, so must IPST. Today, as many companies are announcing significant cutbacks in R&D, we at IPST are refocusing our efforts to be more efficient and strategically aligned with the needs of member companies. To that end, we are growing the research function, with highly qualified research talent.”

IPST recently announced that it will soon merge with the Georgia Institute of Technology. IPST at Georgia Tech will grow as a GT center by attracting research talent from external sources and by drawing interested researchers from other disciplines at Georgia Tech.

Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau, Georgia Tech’s provost, said, “I do believe and hope that over time the IPST faculty will increase in size. Increase in size because, in fact, there are Georgia Tech faculty members from many disciplines who will want to be engaged with IPST, and in addition, we will want to continue to hire researchers who do not currently reside at Georgia Tech but who possess the expertise to meet the innovation needs of the pulp and paper industry.”