Melissa Coolich

Melissa Coolich, PhD has a diverse range of work experience. Most recently, they worked at Amcor as a Principal Product Development Engineer/Sustainability Technical Partner, focusing on sustainability and leading new product platform developments. Prior to that, they were the Director of Research and Development at Horseshoe Beverage, responsible for developing products for various companies and ensuring product labeling and regulatory compliance. Melissa also worked at Amcor as an R&D Manager, where they led the technical end of the retail-liquid pouch business and supported the execution of programs. Additionally, they have experience as a Biomedical Technology Faculty and Program Director at Jefferson College, an Innovation Chemist and Project Manager at Sensient, a Process Research Scientist at Land O'Lakes, Inc., a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Lecturer at Texas A&M University, a National Science Foundation IGERT Fellow and Graduate Research Fellow at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, a Visiting Scientist at the Department of Pharmaceutics, Hoshi University, and a Product Development Specialist at Kimberly-Clark. Throughout their career, Melissa has demonstrated expertise in various areas such as sustainability, product development, research and development, and program management.

Melissa Coolich, PhD, earned their Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Michigan Technological University from 2001 to 2005. Melissa then pursued their Master of Science in Engineering degree, focusing on Engineering, from The University of Texas at Austin from 2005 to 2007. Melissa completed their education by obtaining a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin from 2005 to 2009.