Biographical note

Dr. Sabu Thomas is a professor of Polymer Science and Engineering at the School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India, and Director of the Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University. He received his BSc degree (1980) in Chemistry from the University of Kerala, India. BTech (1983) in Polymer Science and Rubber Technology from the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin, India, and PhD (1987) in Polymer Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India. The research activities of Professor Thomas include surfaces and interfaces in multiphase polymer blend and composite systems, kinetics of phase separation in polymer blends, compatibilization of immiscible polymer blends, thermoplastic elastomers, phase transitions in polymers, nanostructured polymer blends, macro-, micro- and nanocomposites, polymer rheology, recycling, reactive extrusion, processing-morphology-property relationships in multiphase polymer systems, double networking of elastomers, natural fibers and green composites, rubber vulcanization, interpenetrating polymer networks, diffusion and transport, and polymer membranes. He has supervised 50 PhD theses, 20 MPhil theses, and 10 Masters theses. He has two patents. He has been ranked fifth in India with regard to the number of publications (most productive scientists). He also received the coveted Sukumar Maithy Award for the best polymer researcher in the country for the year 2008.Dr. Sajid Alavi, PhD currently Professor and Research Leader.at the Department of Grain Science and Industry at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. As a food engineer, Dr. Alavi researches extrusion processing, a continuous cooking technology used to make a variety of food and non-food industrial applications. Some of his current research involves developing healthy processed foods such as fruit or vegetable-based extruded snacks, increasing ethanol yields th