Employees

RISE PFIAbout usEmployees

Administration

Philip André Reme
Managing Director

Degree: Dr. ing. Chemical Engineering.

Activities: Management, initiation of new projects, legal matters, participation in project steering groups.

Main research focus: Mechanical pulping and new biobased materials.

Email: philip.reme@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 922 46 537

Arild Blakstad
Administration and financial manager

Activities: Administration, HR and finances.

Email: arild.blakstad@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 930 44 552

Kristin Syverud
Research Manager

Degree: Dr. ing.

Area: Nanocellulose and Carbohydrate Polymers

Activities: Production, characterization, chemical modification and applications of nanocellulose.

Email: kristin.syverud@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 959 03 740

Øyvind Eriksen
Laboratory Manager

Degree: PhD

Activities: Paper physics, production of paper and application of nanocellulose in paper. Competence in chemical and physical properties of fibre based products. Project manager of the COMPETENCE project.

Email: oyvind.eriksen@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 452 14 106

Eva Kvernes Rygg
Administration consultant

Degree: Graphic designer and engineer

Activities: Administration, graphic design and chemical analysis

Email: eva.kvernes.rygg@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 466 14 337

Researchers

Sandra R. Fabià
Research Scientist

Degree: Phd

Activities: Production and characterization of nanocellulose. Competence in polymer chemistry and surface and colloid chemistry.

Email: sandra.fabia@rise-pfi.no

Phone: 47 932 36 247

 

Jost Ruwoldt
Research Scientist

Degree: PhD in Chemical Engineering

Activities: Colloid and polymer science, lignosulfonates, paraffin waxes and wax inhibition, biomass conversion.

E-mail: jost.ruwoldt@rise-pfi.no
Phone: +47 916 98 245

Marianne Ø. Dalheim
Research Scientist

Degree: PhD in Biotechnology

Acitivities: Conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biochemicals and materials. Competence in biopolymer chemistry, chemical and enzymatic modification of polysaccharides and characterization of structural and material properties of polysaccharides. 

E-mail: marianne.dalheim@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 922 58 362

Jennifer Zehner
Research Scientist

Degree: PhD in Biophysics

Acitivities: Competence in microscale characterization and testing of material properties of polymers, biopolymers, and nanocomposite materials.

E-mail: jennifer.zehner@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 465 08 927

Gary Chinga Carrasco
Senior Research Scientist

Degree: Dr. ing.

Focus area: Biopolymers and Biocomposites

Activities: Lead scientist in the topics biopolymers, biocomposites and 3D printing, and with close cooperation with industry and R&D groups. Coordination and management of multidisciplinary projects, working with biopolymers and biocomposites, characterization and application in biomedical research and industrial implementation.

Email: gary.chinga.carrasco@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 908 36 045

LinkedIn: no.linkedin.com/in/garychingacarrasco/

Kai Toven
Senior Research Scientist

Degree: Dr. ing.

Activities: Lead scientist Biorefining and bioenergy. Working within bioenergy, biofuels and biorefining since 2005. Project leader for industry oriented projects within thermochemical conversion of biomass by fast pyrolysis and torrefaction.

E-mail: kai.toven@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 952 11 704

Amalie Solberg
Research Scientist

Degree: PhD

Activities: Competence in biopolymer chemistry. Research into chemically modified polysaccharides, and polysaccharide-containing materials.

E-mail: amalie.solberg@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 466 12 275

Andreas Lyng Nenningsland
Research Scientist

Degree: PhD in Chemical Engineering

Activities: Research into production and recycling of building materials. Production and characterization of nanocellulose from mechanical pulp and residual streams from food productions.

E-mail: andreas.nenningsland@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 971 73 598

Eva Pasquier
Research Scientist

Degree: PhD

Activities: Preparation and characterization of biobased colloids. Development of fiber materials for packaging applications.

E-mail: eva.pasquier@rise-pfi.no

Phone:  +47 475 19 520

Cornelis van der Wijst
Master of Science

Degree: MSc. Chemistry

Activities: Research into thermochemical processes and biorefining. Pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass and waste streams. Pyrolysis equipment development and process optimalisation. Biocarbon engineering.

E-mail: cornelis.vanderwijst@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 904 79 803

Mihaela T. Opedal
Senior Research Scientist

Degree: PhD

Activities: Project leader for biorefinery projects: pretreatment and fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass, lignin conversion to value-added products and materials, production of fermentable sugars to protein from lignocellulose biomass. Process water chemistry and surface and colloid chemistry with application in pulp and paper industry.

E-mail: mihaela.opedal@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 918 79 630

Fredrik Heen Blindheim
Postdoctoral researcher

Degree: PhD in Organic Chemistry

Activities: Research into chemical modifications of biopolymers via organic synthetic methodologies.

E-mail: Fredrik.heen.blindheim@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 90529136

Nanci Vanesa Ehman
Postdoctoral researcher

Degree: Dr. Ing

Activities: Development of biopolymers based on wood fibers and modified nanocellulose.

E-mail: nanci.vanesa.ehman@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 476 00 784

Karthik Raghunathan
Research Scientist

Degree: PhD

Activities: Competence in surface and colloidal chemistry, crystallization, molecular dynamic simulations, synthesis, and characterization of nanoparticles.

E-mail: karthik.raghunathan@rise-pfi.no

Phone:  +47 411 24 724

Engineers

Ingebjørg Leirset
Senior Engineer

Degree: Cand. mag.

Activities: Chemical analysis.

Email: ingebjorg.leirset@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 959 01 182

Anne Marie Reitan
Senior Engineer

Degree: Enigineer

Activities: Chemical analysis

Email: anne.reitan@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 995 39 950

Berit Leinsvang
Senior Engineer

QA engineer

Activities: Structural, physical and optical characterization of pulp and paper, including standard laboratory equipment and SEM. Responsible for internal audits, quality assurance (QA), and health, safety and environment (HSE) areas at PFI.

E-mail: berit.leinsvang@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 977 07 644

Kenneth Aasarød
Senior Engineer

Degree: Bachelor Chemical Engineering

Activities and responsibilities: Thermogravimetric analysis including differential scanning calorimetry, thermal and physical properties of fiber based products and biocomposites, 3D-printing, production and characterization of nanocellulose, SEM

E-mail: kenneth.aasarod@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 996 08 953

Steinar Seehuus
Laboratory Technician

Degree: Laboratory technician

Activities: Various types of analysis in the laboratory. General maintenance of laboratories and equipment

Email: steinar.seehuus@rise-pfi-no

Phone: +47 916 20 386

Johnny K. Melbø
Laboratory Technician

Degree: Laboratory technician

Activities: General maintenance of laboratories and equipment. Also performing various types of analysis in the laboratory

Email: johnny.melbo@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 466 12 093

Kristin Stensønes
Engineer

Activities: Laboratory work, different analysis, sheet forming, viscosity measurements and contact angle.

E-mail: kristin.stensones@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 958 93 998

Marita Dørdal Helgheim
Engineer

Degree: Bachelor – Food Technology

Activities: Chemical analysis

E-mail: marita.dordal.helgheim@rise-pfi.no

Phone: +47 916 40 538

RISE PFI is part of RISE - Research Institutes of Sweden

RISE PFI is and internationally acknowledged research institute within processes and products based on lignocellulose. RISE PFI´s focus areas are Fibre technology and fibre-based products, Biorefining and Bioenergy and Biopolymers and Biocomposites.

 

Contact

  • Høgskoleringen 6b
  • NO - 7491 Trondheim
  • firmapost@rise-pfi.no
  • +47 73 60 50 65