Kalavathy Rajan is an assistant professor within the Department of Plant & Soil Science. An international expert in renewable bioproducts, she is based in the department’s Fiber & Biopolymer Research Institute, where she focuses on developing materials and chemicals from agricultural residues to advance a research program in sustainable bioproducts and strengthen the college’s current research team. One of her goals is to spur the replacement of petrochemical-derived and carcinogenic materials through the development of plant-based alternatives. 

She enhances FBRI’s competitiveness in biopolymeric products development through state-of-the-art molecular design, chemical modification, and process innovation. Prior to joining Texas Tech in 2023, Rajan served as a research scientist at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s Center for Renewable Carbon. She also secured the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's International Fellowship (New Delhi, India) to pursue doctorate in food science at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.

CONTACT: Noureddine Abidi, Associate Dean for Research, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or noureddine.abidi@ttu.edu  

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