Dr. Srikanth Pilla is the Robert Patrick Jenkins endowed professor of automotive engineering and the founding director of the Clemson Composites Center at Clemson University. Pilla earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a postdoctoral training from Stanford University. Prior to joining Clemson, Pilla worked as an Asst. Scientist at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Pilla also spent time in industry having worked at SC Johnson and SuGanit Biorenewables as R&D scientist. Pilla serves as a materials and manufacturing consultant to several industries including automotive OEMs and their suppliers. Pilla’s research interests are in the fundamentals and applications of sustainable and lightweight functional materials and manufacturing. Encompassing “Circular Economy” and “Sustainable Engineering” domains, Pilla’s created Circular Engineering concept builds on the foundations of “Materials Genome Initiative”, and “Hybrid and Intelligent Manufacturing Technologies”. Pilla’s discoveries and innovations have been published in a wide variety of journals. With a H-index of 39 and a citation count of over 5700, Pilla has co-authored over 140 peer-reviewed archival publications. He edited the world’s leading handbook in bioplastics and biocomposites and four SAE-Progress in Technology Series books. His research is supported by NSF, DOE, USDA, DOD, NIH, and NASA, besides several foundations and industries including automotive OEMs, and their suppliers. His research has created over $42M of funding. Pilla is highly active in plastics, composites and automotive professional societies. He has chaired and organized several technical sessions at SAE World Congress and SPE-ANTEC. Pilla currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of SAE International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, Energy, Environment and Policy, Associate Editor of SAE International Journal of Materials and Manufacturing and on the boards of Journal of Renewable Materials, Journal of Composites Science, SPE Injection Molding and Bioplastics Divisions. Pilla’s efforts in research and engineering education have garnered him numerous awards, including the 2021 US EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, 2021 Innovision’s Sustainability Award, 2020 Innovision’s Technology Integration Award, 2019 Composites Educator of the Year Award, 2018 SC Governor’s Young Scientist Award, 2018 UWM GOLD Award, 2017 BEPS Outstanding Young Scientist Award, 2017 Stefan Pischinger Young Industry Leadership Award, 2017 SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, 2017 Forest R. McFarland Award from SAE, and 2016 Robert J. Hocken Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer award from SME. He has supervised over 25 graduate students and postdocs, and many undergraduate students. The results of his student’s research have been recognized with best research awards by the SPE, ISBBB, etc.