Appointment of Dean, Faculty of Forestry: Prof. Mohini Sain

PDAD&C#67, 2011-12

To: PDAD&C
From: Cheryl Misak, Vice-President and Provost
Date: June 13, 2012
RE: Appointment of Prof. Mohini Sain, Dean, Faculty of Forestry


I am pleased to announce that the Agenda Committee has approved the appointment of Professor Mohini Sain as Dean, Faculty of Forestry for a five year term beginning on July 1, 2012.


Professor Sain is a respected member of the Faculty of Forestry. He has a BASc. (Hons) from Calcutta University, a Master of Technology from India Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and a PhD (Chemical Engineering) from Technical University, Bratislava. He also is an Ontario Professional Engineer (PEO).


Professor Sain is the editor of multiple books, the creator of spin-off companies, and has produced scores of publications and several patents. He has provided leadership in academia and industry by being involved in the creation of flagship programs such as the Canadian Natural Composite Council, the ISO Standardization committee for Nanotechnology, BIOCAR, and the Ontario BioAuto Council. His research and education focus is in forest biotechnology and nanotechnology, combining work in forest and agro-reduces and biological science to create innovations in the area of protein-polysaccharide interaction and bio-nanomaterials applicable for transportation, construction and electronics products. At present he runs industry-led academic programs in Brazil, India, China, Sweden and Thailand.


Prof. Sain is cross-appointed to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. He is the Director of the Centre for Biocomposites and Biomaterials Processing. He is also an adjunct professor of the Chemical Engineering Departments at the University of New Brunswick and the University of Lulea, Sweden, and an Honorary Professor at Slovak Technical University. Prof. Sain is also a Chief Science Officer of the Ontario BioAuto Council.


Prof. Sain has been involved in the conversations in recent years on the future of the Faculty of Forestry and served as a member of a three-person working group that was charged with exploring possibilities for the future of the discipline at the University. Part of his mandate is to find a new and better structure that will put our important forestry programs on an upward trajectory.