Dr. Michael Tam obtained his BEng and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Monash University, Australia in 1982 and 1991 respectively. He was a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University, and worked at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore for 15 years. In June 2007 Dr. Tam joined the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo as a tenured full professor, and holds the position of University Research Chair in the field of functional colloids and sustainable nanomaterials. Having published more than 300 journal articles in various fields of nanotechnology and chemical engineering, Dr. Tam’s Google citation exceeds 22,250 and H-index is 75. Dr. Tam is also an associate editor of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.
Having worked in the field of polymers and colloids since 1992, Dr. Tam began to work on the emerging field of sustainable nanomaterials after relocating to the University of Waterloo in 2007. Through interactions with Dr. Berry (Celluforce Inc.), Dr. Tam started an active research program on cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) with the goal of exploiting this exciting nanomaterial for new applications. Since CNC is an excellent carbon sink and scaffold for the design of many types of nano-hybrids, Dr. Tam has advanced the understanding and application of this nanomaterial with 10 patent disclosures filed (4 patents being granted). He collaborates extensively with companies, such as 3M Canada, Ecosynthetix, Celluforce, and PetroChina.
To get better acquainted with Professor Michael Tam, we asked him some personal trivia questions:
- I grew up… in Malaysia (a multi-ethnic country in South East Asia).
- When I was a kid… I always wanted to be a pilot.
- At school… my most favorite class was mathematics.
- I enjoy… learning about other cultures and visiting interesting places.
- The best meal… is freshly blanched live shrimps in Indonesia.
- My favourite beverage… is fresh coconut juice.
- Friends know me… as a friendly and calm person.
- I’m reading….students’ PhD theses constantly (5 theses in the last 6 months)
- Important words…are justice, mercy and humility
- I’m at my best… while I am on vacation or travelling to interesting places, for example to Morocco before the pandemic.
- I’m at my worst… when I am tired and sleepy.
- The best gift I ever received… is my wife and two daughters.
- My favourite music… is soft and relaxation music, like piano by Richard Clayderman.
- My hero… is Jesus who walked the land of Judea and Galilee
- On my days off… I enjoy having coffee with friends.
- If I wasn’t working at UBC… I would do hiking in the National Parks in Canada.
- In this position I’m excited… to find solutions to interesting problems that impact society.
- I’ll know we are successful when… others appreciate what we do in solving interesting problems.
- Someday… I will have grandchildren and enjoy having fun with little kids again.
Welcome to BPI, Dr. Tam!
