Li Received Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award

Post date: July 23, 2021

Dr. Mi Li received the competitive 2021-2022 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award in the discipline of Engineering and Applied Science for his proposal entitled “Design and Develop Nanocellulose-based Sustainable Smart Materials for Food Packaging.”  His research focuses on discovering a pathway to innovate plant-derived renewable materials with advanced and intelligent stimulus-and-response properties. The development of bioresouse-based smart materials using nanocellulose feedstock is expected to have a potential application in food packaging to monitor the status and quality of food, preserve food shelf-life, and reduce carbon foot-print. 

The prestigious Ralph E. Power Junior Faculty Enhancement Award is based on a commitment by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) to enrich the research skills and professional growth of young faculty at ORAU member institutions (89 members in 2021).  This year, 35 awardees are competitively selected from among 156 faculty applications (full awardees list here).  The peer-review evaluation and selection process is rigorous and involves outstanding scientists from across the nation.

Congratulations to Dr. Li!