Assist. Prof. Dr. Julia Shamshina is an accomplished scientist and Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University, serving within the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute and the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, with an academic career defined by pioneering contributions to sustainable materials science and green chemistry. She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, followed by a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from The University of Alabama, where she later completed postdoctoral research in Analytical Chemistry. With professional experience spanning academia, industry, and entrepreneurial ventures, she has held key scientific and leadership positions at institutions and companies including Streamline Automation, 525 Solutions, McGill University, and Mari Signum Mid-Atlantic, where her work received recognition through NASA Tech Brief and ACS Green Chemistry awards. Her research focuses on ionic liquids and biopolymers, particularly chitin and cellulose, with emphasis on designing scalable, biodegradable alternatives to plastics and advancing industrial applications of renewable polymers. She has led projects in green propulsion, pharmaceutical platforms, biopolymer composites, sustainable textile dyes, and advanced biomedical scaffolds, achieving a record of 108 peer-reviewed publications, 23 patents, and over a dozen book chapters, along with extensive editorial service across leading journals. Her impact is reflected in 4,936 citations across 3,651 documents, supported by an h-index of 40, underscoring the global recognition of her research excellence. Her consultancy and collaborations with industry and national laboratories highlight her ability to bridge fundamental science with commercialization, fostering circular bioeconomy solutions. Recognized among the world’s top 2% scientists for multiple consecutive years, she is an active member of international professional societies, including the American Chemical Society and the European Chitin Society, and has contributed to organizing and presiding over symposia worldwide. Her research interests include ionic liquids, biopolymer separations, functional biomaterials, and renewable chemical processes, with a vision of transforming waste streams and natural resources into value-added, sustainable products. With her innovative spirit, global collaborations, and dedication to environmentally responsible material development, Assist. Prof. Dr. Julia Shamshina continues to shape the future of green chemistry and sustainable biomaterials, inspiring both academic progress and industrial innovation.
Featured Publications
Panackal Shibu, R., Jafari, M., Sagala, S. L., & Shamshina, J. L. (2025). Chitin nanowhiskers: A review of manufacturing, processing, and the influence of content on composite reinforcement and property enhancement.
Zannat, A., Eason, I., Wylie, B., Rogers, R. D., Berton, P., & Shamshina, J. L. (2025). Comparative analysis of chitin isolation techniques from mushrooms: Toward sustainable production of high-purity biopolymer.
Shi, S., Wang, Y., Ye, Z., Xie, H., Liu, C., Liao, J., Zhao, D., Sun, Q., Shamshina, J. L., & Shen, X. (2025). Dual‐working‐pattern nanosheet‐based hydrogel sensors for constructing human‐machine and physiological‐electric interfaces.
Jayalath, P., Ananthakrishnan, K., Jeong, S., Panackal Shibu, R., Zhang, M., Kumar, D., Yoo, C. G., Shamshina, J. L., & Therasme, O. (2025). Bio-based polyurethane materials: Technical, environmental, and economic insights.
Rajan, K., Berton, P., Rogers, R. D., & Shamshina, J. L. (2024). Is Kraft pulping the future of biorefineries? A perspective on the sustainability of lignocellulosic product development.
Basak, T., & Shamshina, J. L. (2024). Design of chitin cell culture matrices for 3D tissue engineering: The importance of chitin types, solvents, cross-linkers, and fabrication techniques.
Shkuratov, A. S., Panackal Shibu, R., Therasme, O., Berton, P., & Shamshina, J. L. (2024). Sustainable production of chitin nanowhiskers from crustacean biomass using cost-effective ionic liquids: Strategies to avoid byproduct formation.