TAPPI Journal Announces New Editorial Board Members

Published: January 12, 2023

Experts in environmental and sustainability, flexible packaging, nanotechnology and tissue join the Board

Journal (TJ) announces the appointment of four new members to its Editorial Board, continuing the publication’s longstanding commitment to provide comprehensive, peer-reviewed research to the forest products and related industries. The Journal is also recognizing the valuable contributions of Paul Wiegand, who has retired from the Editorial Board after serving from 2007 to 2022. Wiegand was vice president for Water and Chemical Management, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI), in Cary, NC.

The distinguished new member of the TJ Editorial Board include:

• Ravi Challa, Ph.D., is global development manager at Suouminen Corp. in Bethune, SC, working with wetlaid nonwovens. Previously he worked with ETAD technology at Georgia-Pacific in Crossett, AR. Challa will be shepherding tissue submissions.
• Ankush Gokhale, Ph.D., is lead scientist at SAIBC in Houston, TX. He is an active member of TAPPI’s International Flexible Packaging and Extrusion Division and will be contributing his expertise in flexible packaging and polymer composites to TJ.
• Maria Soledad Peresin, Ph.D., is assistant professor, Forest Biomaterials, at Auburn University. She holds a Ph.D. in Forest Biomaterials and is very active in TAPPI’s Nanotechnology Division. Peresin will assist in the recruitment and peer review of nanocellulose and biomaterials submissions.
• Vipin Varma, Ph.D., is vice president, Manufacturing Programs, NCASI, in Cary, NC. Varma brings a deep understanding of the forest products industry, environmental and sustainability topics, and technology and market forces that drive commercial and business success to the TJ Editorial Board.

“The forest products industry is constantly evolving,” said Doug Coffin, TJ Editor-in-Chief, “and the addition of these experts to the TJ Ed Board will help us better serve the applied research and technical review needs of the industry.“

TJ’s open access format provides the industry immediate, free access to the latest research as soon as each issue is published.  Prospective authors from academic and research institutions, as well as speakers who present scientific papers at TAPPI conferences, are encouraged to submit their research for peer review and consideration for publication in TJ. As an added incentive, authors could be awarded the $2,000 Honghi Tran TAPPI Journal Best Research Paper Prize presented at TAPPICon. Learn more and submit abstracts at tappi.org/tjsubmit.

For more information, visit TAPPI’s website.