Dr. Akhilesh Kumar Pal received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India in 2017. His main research interests include biopolymers, polymer extraction, functionalization and characterization, polymerization, polymer composites, polymer processing, polymer rheology, biocarbon processing and its application in polymer composites, ultra-high barrier biodegradable polymer composites, monolayer and multilayer biodegradable films, additive manufacturing, and polymer biodegradation in various environments.