# Manjusri Misra

Manjusri Misra is an Indo-Canadian Professor. She is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Biocomposites at the University of Guelph's School of Engineering and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Plant Agriculture. Misra is also the lead scientist at U of G's Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC); the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE); the Royal Society of Chemistry; the Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE), US; and the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE).

## Early life and education

Misra was born in Odisha, India, into a family of academics, to her father, Late Pandit Govinda Chandra Mishra, and her mother, Late Mrs. Suhasini Mishra. She received her High School from Ravenshaw Collegiate School, Cuttack and Bachelors degree from Shailabala Women's College (currently Shailabala Women's Autonomous College). She completed her Master and PhD degrees from Ravenshaw College (currently Ravenshaw University), Cuttack under Utkal University before completing her post-doctoral work in Fritz Huber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin and Technische Universität Berlin, Germany.

## Career

Following her PhD, Misra was a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at various academic institutes (Shailabala Women's College, B. J. B. College and Ravenshaw College) under Utkal University. She was also a visiting adjunct professor at Michigan State University. While at Michigan State, Misra worked in Composite Materials and Structures Center in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science where she began her various research projects on "Sustainable Biobased and Biodegradable Composites and Green Nanocomposites for Automotives and Packaging Applications." She was also an editor of the CRC Press volume, "Natural Fibers, Biopolymers and Biocomposites," in 2005.
Misra eventually joined the faculty of the School of Engineering and the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph (U of G) in 2008. Upon joining the institution, Misra was appointed president of the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society and served as an editor for various journals. She also edited the American Scientific Publishers volume "Packaging Nanotechnology" in 2009. Following this, Misra received the Jim Hammar Memorial Award from the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society and the 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Andrew Chase Division Award in Chemical Engineering as an individual with "significant chemical engineering contributions in the forest products and related industries." During her tenure at U of G, Misra co-directed the Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre with her husband which aimed to produce bio-based, sustainable materials that lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the impact of plastics. In 2019, her efforts were recognized with the Synergy Award for Innovation from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
In December 2020, Misra was named a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Biocomposites. She was also recognized by the Women's Executive Networks as one of the Most Powerful Women for 2020. She was specifically recognized for being a "world leader in the development of novel bio-based composites and nanocomposites made from agricultural and forestry resources." The following year, Misra received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society for "outstanding contributions to advancing the field of biopolymers, bio-based composite materials." In 2024, Misra was recognized as one of the Global 50 Women in Sustainability under the theme "Embrace Boldness" by SustainabilityX® Magazine for demonstrating exceptional leadership in sustainability and driving transformative change across the globe.

## Awards, honours and distinctions

| 2024 | Global 50 Women In Sustainability - Embrace Boldness Theme, The SustainabilityX® Magazine, New York City, USA |
| 2024 | Fellow, Royal Society of Canada (RSC) |
| 2023 | Present Fellow, Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) |
| 2021 | Fellow, Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE), USA |
| 2021 | Lifetime Achievement Award, BioEnvironmental Polymer Society (BEPS), USA |
| 2020 | Canada Research Chair (CRC) Tier 1 – Sustainable Biocomposites, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) |
| 2020 | Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards – Manulife Science and Technology Category, Women's Executive Networks (WXN), Canada |
| 2020 | CEPS Undergraduate Supervision Award, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS), University of Guelph, Canada |
| 2020 | Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), USA |
| 2019 | The Prestigious "Glory of India" (Bharat Jyoti) Award, India International Friendship Society |
| 2019 | Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK |
| 2019 | Woman of Distinction on Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM): Guelph YMCA-YWCA Women of Distinction, Canada |
| 2018 | NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada |
| 2017 | Andrew Chase Forest Products Division Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), USA |
| 2017 | Featured Canadian Author Two publications chosen for the American Chemical Society (ACS) Publications Open Access Virtual Issue "Hot Materials in a Cool Country" featuring articles authored by Canadians to celebrate the 100th meeting of the Canadian Chemistry Conference. |
| 2016 | University of Guelph's Innovation of the Year Award, Canada The award is for the creation of the 100% Compostable Bio-composite Resin using coffee chaff (waste stream of coffee roasting industry) for single-serve coffee pods, called PURPOD100®. More awards for this innovation can be found here |
| 2014 | Composites Part A Most Highly Cited Paper Award "Characterization of natural fiber surfaces and natural fiber composites", selected for the award which highlights that the paper has truly generated interest and awareness within the composites community. |
| 2012 | Jim Hammar Memorial Service Award, BioEnvironmental Polymer Society (BEPS), USA |

## Personal life

Misra is married to Amar Mohanty.