Kalavathy Rajan, Ph.D.
Email: krajan@ttu.edu
Phone: (806) 834-8626
Address:
Room 121, Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute
Department of Plant and Soil Science
Texas Tech University
1001 E Texas 289 Loop Frontage
Lubbock, TX 79403
Background
Dr. Kala Rajan (she/her/hers) joined the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, at the Department of Plant and Soil Science, as an Assistant Professor on September 1, 2023. Originally from Tamil Nadu, India, Dr. Rajan has dual master’s degrees in food science & technology from Cornell University (New York) and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (Coimbatore, India). She got her Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville in 2015. Afterwards she has accumulated 7 years of research experience as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dept. of Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science, and as a Research Scientist at the Center for Renewable Carbon, in the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Her research topics include, enzymatic saccharification of agricultural residues for biofuel production, chemical fractionation of bioactive compounds from forestry products, and isolation and chemical modification of lignin for developing multifunctional copolymers, soft materials, and coatings. Dr. Rajan has more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, a prestigious fellowship from the Ministry of Agriculture in India, and actively serves as a reviewer for federal grants and over 300 scientific publications in reputed journals.
Research Interests
Dr. Kala Rajan’s main goal is to develop bio-based products from renewable lignocellulosic feedstocks with emphasis on sustainability, recycling, and complete biomass utilization. Her research questions are:
- How does the molecular structure of plant cell wall affect the subsequent biomass processing?
- How to alter the plant biomass’ chemical structure and composition to achieve desirable (end-user) material properties?
- How to reduce the life-cycle impact and improve the sustainability of lignocellulosic biomass processing?
Dr. Rajan leverages her expertise in biochemical fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass and fundamental characterization techniques to address the gaps in sustainable bio-product development.
Additional Links
Department of Plant and Soil Science
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Address
Texas Tech University, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Box 42122, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
806.742.2838 -
Email
psstechsupport@ttu.edu