University of Guelph engineering professor Dr. Manjusri Misra has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society (BEPS) for outstanding contributions to advancing the field of biopolymers, bio-based composite materials.

Misra received the award this week at the group’s 27th annual meeting, held virtually.

The international award is the highest honour from BEPS and recognizes a stellar research career, as well as dedication to and support for the society.

Recipients are considered leaders in their field and have held positions of full professor or equivalent for two years or longer.

Misra, who holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Biocomposites at the School of Engineering and is cross-appointed to the Department of Plant Agriculture, studies production of bio-based materials, natural fibre composites, bioplastics and integrated bio-refinery to make new sustainable materials.

She has created award-winning materials from sustainable resources, reducing Canada’s reliance on petroleum products and its carbon footprint. She holds 53 patents and has authored more than 800 publications, including 404 peer-reviewed journal papers and 21 book chapters.

She is the lead scientist at U of G’s Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC). Materials developed at BDDC are used as substitutes for conventional plastics in a variety of products, including in the automotive sector and in single-use plastic.

A Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Royal Society of Chemistry in the U.K., Misra was named one of the Women’s Executive Networks (WXN) Most Powerful Women for 2020.

In 2018, she and Mohanty received the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Synergy Award for Innovation.