Dr. Kelly Schultz, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, received a new grant from NSF entitled "GOALI: Determination of the structure and properties of microfibrillated cellulose during dynamic phase transitions" as part of their GOALI (Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry) program. The project will be conducted jointly with researchers from Procter and Gamble's Corporate Engineering Technology Laboratories with the overall goal to characterize the spatial and temporal rheological evolution of an microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) scaffold to enable its use as a rheological modifier for consumer, fabric and home care products. MFC is of interest because it is the byproduct from the paper industry that has the potential to replace the rheological modifier currently used. 
 
This GOALI is the culmination of five years of work between the Schultz group and Procter & Gamble. This work has already resulted in five publications as part of the PhD work by Dr. Matthew Wehrman (PhD '18, currently at Intel).