Richard Cairncross is an associate professor in the Chemical & Biological Engineering Department at Drexel University. He leads a research group working on topics related to renewable polymers and renewable energy, and teaches courses on renewable energy and design. A team of students under his direction received a P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) Award from the EPA for development of a new reactor that converts low quality natural/waste oils into Biodiesel. He has researched the net energy balance of corn-to-ethanol processes, the effect of different biomass feedstocks on performance of an integrated biorefinery, and the moisture barrier properties of bio-based polymers. Prof. Cairncross received a Fulbright Lectureship Award and taught a graduate course on Renewable Energy at the University of El Salvador in Spring 2010. Prof. Cairncross also serves several roles in Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and is actively involved in sustainable development projects in El Salvador.