Contact: jason.dsouza@mail.utoronto.ca

Education

Doctoral Studies	Sept. 2010 – Feb. 2016	Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto	Research in partnership with Huntsman Ltd. was conducted on the conversion of bark into a liquid for the synthesis of bio-based rigid polyurethane foams.
Masters of Applied Science & Engineering	Sept. 2007 - Sept. 2009	Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto	Research was conducted on the design, chemical synthesis, characterization, and analysis of dyes encapsulated into polymer nano-particles as potential light absorbing materials for plastic solar cells.
Bachelor of Applied Science & Engineering	Sept. 2003 - June 2007	Material Science and Engineering, University of Toronto	Undergraduate education provided a fundamental knowledge of the properties, design, processing, and characterization of materials.

Work Experience

Freelance Technical Editing	2013 – 2015	-	Technical editing was performed for 3 journal papers.
Teaching Instructor	Sept. 2012 – Apr. 2014	Engineering Communications Program - Communications I and II, University of Toronto	Commenting on the writing and presentations of others, and providing critical but constructive feedback was a formative experience. It trains one to be highly cognizant of always writing with structure, writing concisely, and the importance of presenting in an engaging and clear manner.
Researcher	Oct. 2009 - Mar. 2010	University of Toronto / GMA Cover Corp.	Worked in partnership with GMA Cover and engaged in technology transfer to adapt novel dyes designed in my master’s research to facilitate their commercialization for paint coatings and fabric applications.
Lab Assistant	June 2005 – Sept. 2005	BPB North American Services Inc., Mississauga Ontario	Interacted with a multitude of suppliers to gather regulatory information and prepared batches of drywall joint compound according to various formulations.

Publications

1. D’Souza, J.; Yan, N. Producing Bark-based Polyols through Liquefaction: Effect of Liquefaction Temperature. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 2013, 1, 534–540.
2. D’Souza, J.; Camargo, R.; Yan, N. Polyurethane foams made from liquefied bark-based polyols. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40599.

3. D’Souza, J.; George, B.; Camargo, R.; Yan, N. Synthesis and characterization of bio-polyols through the oxypropylation of bark and alkaline extracts of bark. Ind. Crops Prod. 2015, 76, 1-11.

4. D’Souza, J.; Wong, S.; Camargo, R.; Yan, N. Solvolytic Liquefaction of Bark: Understanding the Role of Polyhydric Alcohols and Organic Solvents on Polyol Characteristics. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 2016, 4(3), 851-861.

5. D’Souza, J.; Camargo, R.; Yan, N. Biomass liquefaction and alkoxylation: A review of structural characterization methods for bio-based polyols. Poly. Rev. 2017, 1-27.

Conferences and Presentation

April 12th, 2017	Guest Lecture at Ecosynthetix	The utilization of bark to make polyurethane foams (PUFs)
March 28th, 2016	Guest Lecture at Sheridan College	From Materials Engineering to Chemical Engineering to Forestry
August 1st, 2013	Guest Lecture for FOR200 - University of Toronto	The Modern Age of Wood - It's Structure, Chemistry, and Applications
November 1st, 2012	AICHE Annual Conference	Bark-based Polyurethane Foams Through Solvent Liquefaction

Scholarships and Awards

2015 - 2016	$4000	Doctoral Completion Award
2015	$15000	Mitacs-Accelerate Graduate Research Internship Program for a research partnership with Huntsman Corporation
2012 - 2013	$15,000	The Queen Elizabeth II Buell Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology Award
2011 – 2012	$15,000	The Queen Elizabeth II Buell Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology Award
2012	$780	The School of Graduate Studies Travel Grant for attending and presenting at the AICHE Conference in Pittsburgh, PA. USA.
2008 - 2009	$15,000	Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology

Volunteering

January 2017 – Present	Currently developing a workshop for Technovation Academy of Science and Technology for high school students to learn about chemistry and its applications.
June 2014, June 2015	Ran an interactive session with kindergarten students on wood and natural products.
Aug. 2014, July 2014, April 2012	Helped to develop, organize, and run a workshop for students ranging from grade 7-9 on the use of tannins in industry and their role in our diet and health.
May 2013	Designed and presented an exhibit for Science Rendezvous (general public) on wood products and natural based chemicals.

Continuing Education

2017	EDX Certified online course in Six Sigma manufacturing [in progress]
2017	Datacamp Certified online courses on: introduction to R, intermediate R, correlation and regression, and Statistical Modelling I & II.
2012	Attended a formulations chemistry workshop .
2008	Scientific writing for native speakers – University of Toronto: a non-credit course for proficient English writers to further improve scientific and technical writing.