Kalavathy Rajan

Kalavathy Rajan is an Assistant Professor at the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute within the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Texas Tech University's Davis College. She joined the university on September 1, 2023, bringing extensive expertise in biomass processing and sustainable materials development.

Dr. Rajan's educational background includes dual master's degrees in food science & technology from Cornell University (New York) and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (Coimbatore, India), followed by a Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville in 2015. Prior to joining Texas Tech, she accumulated 7 years of research experience as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science and as a Research Scientist at the Center for Renewable Carbon, both at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Her research program focuses on developing bio-based products from renewable lignocellulosic feedstocks with emphasis on sustainability, recycling, and complete biomass utilization. Dr. Rajan's work addresses fundamental questions about how plant cell wall molecular structure affects biomass processing, how to alter biomass chemical structure for desirable material properties, and how to reduce life-cycle impacts of biomass processing.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on lignin valorization, sustainable packaging solutions, nanolignin production, and biocatalytic modification of biomass components. Her research spans multiple disciplines including materials science, biochemical engineering, sustainable manufacturing, and green chemistry, with particular emphasis on practical applications for industry.

• Prestigious fellowship from the Ministry of Agriculture in India

Dr. Rajan is actively engaged in the scientific community, serving as a reviewer for federal grants and over 300 scientific publications in reputed journals. Her expertise bridges fundamental biomass characterization with practical applications for sustainable materials development.