I am Julia Shamshina, and this is my Group page. After gaining relevant experience during my PhD (2008, Organic Synthesis) and postdoctoral studies (2010, Analytical Chemistry) at The University of Alabama, I joined a small business company Streamline Automation, LLC (Huntsville, AL), where I was working on development and commercialization of advanced technologies for the aerospace and defense markets. The research was supported by the US Air Force, Army, and NASA. I am a recipient of a NASA Tech Brief Award for my work on replacement of hydrazine fuel with energetic ionic liquids (2011). In 2012, I joined the start-up company 525 Solutions, Inc., as a Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). I developed the company’s technological backbone ‘from the ground up’, provided technical leadership, and ensured the implementation & commercialization of many technological solutions based on ionic liquids and applicable in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and materials fields. At 525 Solutions, Inc. I was heavily involved in fundraising efforts from federal, foundation, and corporate sources (ca. ~70 proposals, ~$5M in funding). In 2016 — 2017, I went to Canada (McGill University, Department of Chemistry), as an Academic Associate in Green Chemistry where I was responsible for the projects related to the design and development of new products from renewable polymers. The nature of my assignment at McGill was to bridge the academic and industry environments, to bring academic innovation to commercialization. I worked with federal and industrial sponsors (US Air Force, Monsanto USA, Novartis USA). In 2017, I joined Mari Signum Mid-Atlantic, LLC where I was in charge of the development of marketable, patentable concepts involving chitin polymer.  I am a recipient of the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Challenge Award Focus Area 2, Greener Reaction Conditions for “A Practical Way to Mass Production of Chitin: The Only Facility in the U. S. to Use Ionic Liquid-Based Isolation Process”.  Mari Signum was sold to Ross Group PLC in 2019. In 2021, I joined Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI) at Texas Tech University as a Research Assistant Professor, and just recently (November 2022) transitioned to the Assistant Professor position. My current research interests focus on all aspects of biopolymer processing, from fundamental properties to overall material preparation to industrial applications. I am particularly interested in potential industrial uses of biopolymers in high-value materials, with the ultimate goal of finding alternatives to synthetic plastics in multiple applications.
STATISTICS: Refereed Publications: 94 Book Chapters: 13; books edited: 1 Citations; h-Index; i10-index: > 5300; 40; 80 Patents and applications: 20 Presentations (including collaborators) before National, International and Regional Meetings: 95