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Faculty of Forestry-Post Docs

 
Syed Abthagir

Ph.D – Materials Science (2003) Madurai Kamaraj University Tamil Nadu, India

Advisor/Lab: Prof. Ning Yan/ Advanced Materials Characterization Lab. University of Toronto, Toronto

Summary of Current Research

Conducting Nano Crystalline Cellulose (NCC) composites

  • Nano size of cellulose fiber preparation.
  • Nano composites of  conducting polymer–cellulose  materials
  • Studies of nano composite using  AFM, SEM, TEM, XRD
  • Electrical conductivity
  • Thermal stability
Nano-Clay to Enhance Physical and Mechanical Properties of Wood fiber
  • Nano thick of multilayers of clay layer on wood fiber by layer –by–Layer techniques
  • Nano composites of  wood fiber –polymer–clay  materials
  • Stage by Stage Analysis using surface potential, morphology, confocal images etc.
  • Materials Physical Properties : thermal stability, moisture stability, water absorption
  • Mechanical Properties of nano-clay coated fiber composites
Research interests:

  • Conducting Nano Crystalline Cellulose (NCC) composite 
  • Multilayers of polymer, nanoparticles and nanoclay on cellulose fiber, SiO2 …etc..
  • Fabrication, characterization, and design of micro-and nanometer scale structures
  • Nanoparticles,  Nanowires, and Quantum Dots for  Nanocomposite
  • Single and Multi Wall Carbon Nano-Tubes Synthesis
  • Organic Thin-Film Transistors, Light-Emitting Diodes and Solar Cells
  • Thin film fabrication by Laser Ablation, Vacuum, Solution, Spin, and electrochemical
  • Electrochemical Synthesis and Characteristics Study
  • Conducting Polymer and its composite for a Schottky Devices
  • Polymer Battery Fabrications
  • Thermal Stability and Degradation

 Touch through
              syedsabitha@yahoo.com   or  syedabthagir.pitchaimydeen@utoronto.ca
               http://individual.utoronto.ca/syedabthagir/
               http://syedsabitha.googlepages.com
              Room No.  Off. 4021;  Lab. 2008;  Phone : +1 416 978 0 879 (lab)

 

 

 
Zeen Huang
Ph.D. in Wood Science (Wood Chemistry), Brunel University (U.K.), 2005 M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China), 1988
Advisor/Lab: Professor Paul Cooper/Treated Wood Research Group
Working with: Prof. Paul Cooper, Prof. Ning Yan, Tong Ung, Dragica Jeremic.
Research Interests:
  1. Elucidation and utilization of natural products from plants with various biological activities (e.g. antioxidant activity, tyrosinase inhibitory activity, melanin biosynthesis inhibitory activity, and antifungal activity).
  2. Chemical change in wood biodeterioration and biodegradation.
  3. Performance and durability of wood adhesives (PMDI, MUF, PF) and biocomposites.
Current research:
  1. Impacts of high alkalinity and acidity adhesives on long tern durability of adhesive bonds under exterior exposure.
  2. Effects of wood preservative treatments on corrosion of metal fasteners.
  3. Use of NIR to characterized wood species.
URL http://individual.utoronto.ca/zeenhuang
Email: zeen.huang@utoronto.ca, huangzeen@yahoo.com

 

 

 
Dragica Jeremic
PhD, 2007. University of Toronto
Advisor/Lab: Professor Paul Cooper/Treated Wood Research Group
Working with: Prof. Paul Cooper, Tong Ung

Research Interests:

My main research interests include comprehension of chemical movement into micro wood structures and their mode of immobilization for the purpose of preservative treatment and wood modification. My PhD work comprised studies of routes and rate of polyethylene glycol penetration into wood cell walls. During my graduate studies I got involved and developed interests for wood-related spectroscopy and chemometrics.

 

 
Alexis Baltazar y Jimenez

Ph.D. Development of Renewable Composites. Imperial College London, England.
M.Sc. Engineering Business Management. University of Warwick, Coventry, England.
B.Sc. Industrial and Systems Engineering. ITESM, Mexico.

Advisor: Professor Dr. Mohini Sain
Lab: Centre for Biocomposites and Biomaterials Processing.
Working with: Dr. Mohini Sain

Current Research:
Development, characterisation and processing optimisation of (nano)hybrid fibre-reinforced composites produced from renewable sources for high performance applications. The use of low cost, yet efficient environmentally friendly methods to modify the surface of temperature-sensitive materials without mechanical and physical degradation is a key area of my research.  

Research Interests:
Industrial uses of forest and agro-based products into value-added materials, especially truly green composites for structural vehicular applications. The environmental impact of end-of-life vehicle waste on green material research is also one of my favourite areas of research.   

       Email: alexis.jimenez@utoronto.ca

 

 

 
Martin Herbert Kijazi
BSc. (Forestry), MFC, PhD (Forestry, Resource Economics)
Advisor/Lab: Shashi Kant / Forest Resource Economics
Working with: Prof. Shashi Kant

Research Interests:

Current: Economics of Aboriginal Land Use Activities
Other: Stakeholder-Centered Forest Valuations; Social Choice in Forest Management; Welfare Functions of Forest Amenities; Institutional Rational Choice Rules in Forest Management
EMAIL: tini.herbert@utoronto.ca

 
Sedric Pankras

Ph.D.   University of Toronto, Canada (2011)
M.S.     Michigan State University, USA (2006)
B.S.      Kerala Agricultural University, India (2002)

Advisor/Lab: Professor Paul Cooper/Treated wood research group

Research Interest: I have an interdisciplinary background in plant science, chemistry and environmental science. I am interested to pursue an interdisciplinary approach to understand the behavior (speciation, availability, and interaction) of heavy metal contaminants in the environment and developing suitable remediation strategies. During my graduate research I studied the solution chemistry of copper (Cu+2) based alkaline copper quat (ACQ) wood preservative formulation to minimize the environmental impact of ACQ treated wood in service. I explored the influence of ACQ solution parameters on copper complex speciation and copper leaching in order to suggest better pH regime, metal to ligand ratio and addition of ammonia as a co-solvent to minimize the copper leaching from the formulation.

Current Research: Remediation of copper based wood preservatives, alkaline copper quat (ACQ) and micronized copper quat (MCQ), treated wood after service for valuable chemicals following monoethanolamine solvent extraction. Diffusion of copper during the extraction process.

Contact:
33 Willcocks St.
Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto
Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 3B3
Office: 2016B Earth science building
Email: sedric.pankras@utoronto.ca

 
Bin Zheng

Ph.D.    Applied Economics. Auburn University, U.S. (2011).
M.P.S.  Probability and Statistics. Auburn University, U.S. (2011).
M.Sc.    Forestry. Auburn University, U.S. (2009).
B.Sc.    Educational Technology. East China Normal University, China (2005)

Advisor/Lab: Professor Shashi Kant

Working with: Prof. Shashi Kant

Current research:

Environmental preferences to Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) for Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal people. It will involve a theoretical framework draw upon the action-behavior-context (ABC) theory, social psychological model for pro-environmental behavior, and economic utility theories.  

Research interests:

  • Environmental perception and culture
  • Sustainable forest management and rural development
  • Economics and policy of urban forests and ecosystem
  • Non-market valuation of natural resource and environment
  • Resource recreation and tourism

Email: bin.zheng@utoronto.ca