Kailong Zhang, a second-year PhD student in the School of Natural Resources, is the proud recipient of the 2023-2024 Oscar Roy Ashley Graduate Fellowship. Zhang’s innovative research is focused on wood and cellulose-based functional materials, guided by the expertise of CRC professor, Dr. Mi Li. This fellowship is for deserving and talented returning students who have demonstrated excellence in academic performance, highlighting Zhang’s noteworthy academic achievements and professional commitment.

Issac Sutton is a sophomore Chemical Engineering student at UTK. He has always been passionate about finding sustainable solutions to pressing environmental challenges, and he joined Dr. Li’s group in early 2023 to try and make a lasting impact in the field of green chemistry. He has been awarded the Advanced Undergraduate Research Activity 2023 Summer Fellowship to work on cellulose-based adsorbents in Dr. Li’s lab. Congratulations!

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!

Publication at Nat. Biotechnol.

Updated: Dec 8, 2017

Congratulations to Dr. Li and all the contributors for the research article “Sugar release and growth of biofuel crops are improved by downregulation of pectin biosynthesis” accepted for publication in one of the world most influential journal- Nature Biotechnology!

Zhang Awarded Graduate GRA and Herbert Fellowship

Post dated: Jan 21,2021

Through a competitive university review process, upcoming PhD graduate student Kailong Zhang is awarded the premiere fellowship from the University of Tennessee Herbert College of Agriculture Fellowship for Graduate Excellence. Zhang is the one of only nine new PhD students to receive this award in Fall 2021. He is also the recipient of Graduate Research Assistantship for his PhD study in Wood Sciences in Fall 2021.

Congratulations!!!

Van Auken Awarded Undergrad Research Internship

Post date: Mar, 2020

Emily Van Auken, an undergraduate student majoring in Chemical Engineering, has been awarded 2020 Summer Undergraduate Research Internship. Her project focuses the novel extraction of valuable chemicals from switchgrass under the supervision of Dr. Li. Congratulations!!!

Xie Awarded Graduate GRA and Herbert Fellowship

Post date: Jan 21, 2021

Through a competitive university review process, upcoming PhD graduate student Di Xie is awarded the premiere fellowship from the University of Tennessee Herbert College of Agriculture Fellowship for Graduate Excellence. Xie is the one of only nine new PhD students to receive this award in Fall 2021. She is also the recipient of Graduate Research Assistantship for his PhD study in Wood Sciences in Fall 2021.

Congratulations!!!

TCPB Grant Received

Post date: Jan, 2021

Dr. Li has received a grant from the Tennessee Corn Promotion Board (TCPB) to continue investigating the transformation of corn starch to value-added chemicals! Congrats!