The Center for Renewable Carbon is pleased to announce that PhD student Cecile Grubb, in Professor David Harper’s lab has been named as a finalist in the SAMPE 2024 Young Professionals Emerging Leadership Award. The award recognizes the achievements of young professionals (who have graduated from university and are also under the age of 35) by sending application finalists to the SAMPE North America technical conference and exhibition to network with peers and industry professionals, and to increase their understanding of the materials and process community.

The Young Professional Emerging leaders will receive complimentary full-conference registration to SAMPE Conference & Exhibition, roundtrip airfare and five (5) nights hotel accommodation in Long Beach, CA. The award finalists will each receive an engraved award and be recognized for their achievement at the SAMPE Keynote & Awards Breakfast on Thursday, May 23, at the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA.

Cecile is a PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering, where she studies manufacturing and recycling natural fiber composites. The goal of her work is to develop new materials for the automotive industry that have a lower carbon footprint than conventional materials, and also to understand the end of life implications of these materials. Her work is funded by Volkswagen Group of America as part of an ongoing PhD fellowship program.

“Cecile has set a high standard for innovation and creativity in advancing material and process engineering,” said Sarah Cox, President of SAMPE. “This award recognizes the skill, dedication, and professionalism of the future leaders in this industry.”