Welcome to two new members of the BSE family: Julia Kang and Divya Ramchandran! Both are post-docs working with Mark Wilkins in the Industrial Ag Products Center.
Juhyon (Julia) Kang received her MS (2012) and PhD (2015) in Food Science and Biorenewable Resources Techonology from Iowa State University. While studying in Ames, Julia researched microalgae to mitigate gas and water pollution, especially generated from agricultural practices. The produced microalgae biomass was analyzed for value-added products, by- or co- products to enhance its cost-effectiveness. In University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she is currently doing a research on lignin degradation and oxidation geared toward production of valuable smaller molecules for many industrial applications.
Divya Ramchandran earned her PhD (2016) in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During her doctoral studies, she focused on various corn processing technologies such as dry grind, wet milling and corn fractionation processes. Her research interest is in bioprocessing and intends to pursue a career in applied research for the advancement of biorenewables. At UNL, she is currently working on utilizing corn fiber to obtain value added industrial products. Her hobbies include trekking, singing and painting.