A new Chair of Industrial Excellence, sponsored by the Fondation Grenoble INP , has been launched. Focused on cellulose, it is led by Julien Bras, professor at Grenoble INP – Pagora, UGA, and a researcher at LGP2*.
When it comes to cellulose, Julien Bras knows his stuff! A graduate of' ENSIACET, the chemical engineering school at' Toulouse INP, he wrote his thesis at LCA, in collaboration with Ahlstrom, on the development of new bio-based packaging made from parchment paper and cellulose derivatives. He was then hired by Ahlstrom as Innovation Manager and sent to Normandy to develop a specific type of paper for sites in Finland, Italy, and France.
In 2006, Julien Bras became an associate professor at Grenoble INP – Pagora, UGA, and a researcher at LGP2*, where he focused specifically on advances in the field of biomaterials and functional paper. His research has resulted in the publication of more than 180 articles and 15 patents. He received numerous awards and honors over the course of those 13 years (junior member of the Institut universitaire de France, the IMT Hope Prize from the French Academy of Sciences, the International Award from the Nanotechnology Division of TAPPI, etc.), before moving to Switzerland for two years to work at Nestlé Research, where he helped establish an institute dedicated to packaging science. Armed with this new experience in the industrial sector, Julien Bras returned to Grenoble INP with a wealth of project ideas. Among these are the development of the School’s international relations and the establishment of an international master’s program in biorefinery and biomaterials, as well as the creation of a Chair of Industrial Excellence, led by Grenoble INP and dedicated to cellulose!
Named Cellulose Valley , this new chair is supported by several partner companies: DS Smith (a manufacturer of sustainable packaging solutions), Ahlstrom (one of the world leaders in sustainable and innovative fiber-based solutions) Alphaform, a subsidiary of Groupe Guillin (manufacturer of responsible food packaging solutions), and CITEO, , a social enterprise working to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and paper. “The goal is to develop new cellulose-based packaging as an alternative to plastics,” explains Julien Bras, holder of the chair. “We already plan to fund two master’s theses, two postdoctoral fellowships, and about twenty internships for master’s students.” Stay tuned!
µLaboratory of process engineering for biorefinery, bio-based materials and functional printing / CNRS / UGA / Grenoble INP - UGA
