4 minutes with… Dr. Victor S Jackson, Consultant, Material Flow Solutions

Tell us about your company and it’s role in the Advanced Bioeconomy.

Material Flow Solutions is a material testing and consulting company dealing with all aspects of handling solid material and powders. Material flow property characterization of the feedstock materials to obtain unconfined yield strength, wall friction angle, density and permeability, which are then used to design a proper biomass handling system.

Tell us about your role and what you are focused on in the next 12 months.

Contact potential customers who are using a variety of biomass feedstocks including but not limited to sawdust, cornstover, wood pellets. Companies who are having feedstock handling issues, can be assisted by having their feedstocks characterized and also with design of their handling systems.

What do you feel are the most important milestones the industry must achieve in the next 5 years?  

Obtain full backing from the government for the various projects.

Establish several full scale ecomically viable/competitive production plants.

If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about the Advanced Bioeconomy, what would you change? 

Political instability

Of all the reasons that influenced you to join the Advanced Bioeconomy industry, what single reason stands out for you as still being compelling and important to you?  

I believe that all forms of alternative energies should be explored.

Where are you from? 

Leeds, England

What was your undergraduate major in college, and where did you attend? Why did you choose that school and that pathway?

Industrial Chemistry at Bradford University, England. They had a 4 year co-op program including three 6 monthly spells in industry. I was interested in science and favoured chemistry.

Who do you consider your mentors – could be personal, business, or just people you have read about and admire. What have you learned from them?

My old boss when I worked fo Enichem, Giuseppe Simoni who treated all people fairly and had a tremendous enthusiasm and strong work ethic

What’s the biggest lesson you ever learned during a period of adversity?  

Hang in there.

What hobbies do you pursue, away from your work in the industry?  

golf, dancing, live music

What books or articles are on your reading list right now, or you just completed and really enjoyed?  

The Veteren by Frederick Forsyth

What’s your favorite city or place to visit, for a holiday?  

San Francisco, New Orleans