Chisom Chioma Umeileka
About me
Chisom Umeileka is a researcher in Sustainable materials and technology at NC State University with a background in Industrial and Polymer Chemistry. She specializes in pulp and paper, nanocellulose, barrier coatings, and sustainable packaging, with over ten years of laboratory and industrial process experience. Her work focuses on developing eco-friendly, high-performance materials that advance circular economy goals.
Chisom Umeileka holds advanced degrees in Polymer Chemistry and a B.S. in Pure and Industrial Chemistry, bringing more than a decade of combined research, laboratory, and industrial process experience. Her expertise spans pulp and paper, nanocellulose production, surface modification, barrier coatings, hygiene products, biomass valorisation, and sustainable packaging materials, with a strong focus on process efficiency, reproducibility, amd scalability.
At NC State, Chisom has optimized nanocellulose processes, achieving up to 30% efficiency improvements, and developed eco-friendly coatings that enhance water barrier performance by over 50%. Her industry and research experiences include internships with Hoffmaster and Université Laval, where she contributed to product scale-up strategies, cost-reduction initiatives, and the development of barrier coatings for packaging and flexible electronics.
Chisom's contributions have been recognized with several awards and fellowships, including the John Masaschi Graduate Fellowship, NC State Provost Fellowship, and 1st place at the Graduate Student Research Symposium. She also received honors such as the Subject Prize for Best Student in Physical and Structural Chemistry.
Beyond research, she has demonstrated strong leadership, serving as Session Chair at the TAPPI Nano 2024 conference, Vice President of the Nigerian Student Association (NCSU Chapter), and Orientation Committee member at NC State. She actively engages in community and professional development through leadership workshop and mentoring roles.
Passionate about sustainability and innovation, Chisom aims to advance the development of high-performance, bio-based materials that reduce reliance on synthetic plastics and contribute to a circular economy.