Professor Orlando Rojas is Canada Excellence Research Chair in Bioproducts, UBC and Director of the Bioproducts Institute. In this role, he synergizes an ecosystem that conducts multi-disciplinary research to create fundamental knowledge and applications, from seeds to cutting-edge biorefining technologies.

Prof. Rojas distinctions include the Anselme Payen Award, the highest recognition in the area of cellulose and renewable materials. He is also an elected Fellow of the American Chemical Society (2013), the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (2017) and recipient of the Tappi Nanotechnology Award (2015). He is adjunct professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering of NCSU (USA). Other recent appointments include honorary guest/visiting professorships in Aalto University (Finland), Mid-Sweden University, Universiti Putra Malaysia and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Austria).

Prof. Rojas is member of the Marcus Wallenberg Foundation Selection Committee and the TAPPI International Research Management Committee. In his recent past, Prof. Rojas held research grants such as the prestigious European Research Commission Advanced Grant (ERC-Advanced) and Horizon H2020 projects, among others.

During his career Prof. Rojas has advised 55 postdoctoral fellows, 65 PhD and 50 MS students. He has also hosted 112 international visiting scholars. With a h-index of 95 and 43000 citations (Google Scholar), he has authored about +500 peer-reviewed papers and a larger number of conference contributions. He is a top 1% in 2022 and 2023 citations worldwide (Clarivate, Web of Science)