Professor Carson Meredith Joins UT Faculty to Advance Bio-Based Polymer Research for Sustainable Packaging
Professor Carson Meredith has joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) as the department head of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Meredith's research focuses on developing bio-based polymer materials from robust, resilient, and efficient sources to create sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics used in packaging. His work aims to find materials that are domestically produced and abundant, particularly focusing on forest and agriculture byproducts prevalent in Tennessee and the Southeast. Meredith's goal is to derive highly functional packaging from plants that can protect against gases like oxygen, offering better end-of-life options for packaging materials. He previously pioneered the use of chitin and cellulose to derive alternative packaging materials at Georgia Tech, and his current research at UT will include working with miscanthus grass, a woody perennial grass native to Asia, as part of the BRIDGES Engine initiative.
