Dr. Nicole Stark is a Research Chemical Engineer at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, WI. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering and her M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her Ph.D. is in Wood Science from Michigan Technological Univeristy. Her research includes incorporating alternative raw materials such as biopolymers, low-value woody biomass, and biorefinery residuals into high-value composites. Research focus areas include characterizing fundamental changes in surface chemistry and morphology that occur during weathering of biobased composites, using innovative processing techniques and treatments to improve durability, and development of cellulosic nanocomposites for packaging applications.