Panelist – Friday 2 December 2022
Dr Paul Watson, Paul Watson & Associates
Dr Paul Watson obtained his PhD in lignin and pulping chemistry in 1990 from the University of Auckland supported by a PaproNZ scholarship. He completed postdoctoral research at the University of Washington in Anthraquinone-RDH pulping then at the University of British Columbia developing catalysts for oxygen bleaching.
In 1995 he joined Paprican’s Vancouver laboratory where he led the Resource Evaluation program then the Fibre Supply and Quality Program and in 2004 was appointed acting Director of the Vancouver laboratory where he developed the EvaluTree initiative funded in part by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation – the first CFI grant awarded outside Canada’s universities and government laboratories.
In 2008 at the height of British Columbia’s mountain pine beetle infestation, (or more correctly central BC’s dead tree epidemic), he was recruited to lead the Canfor Pulp Research and Development Centre which he transformed to Canfor Pulp Innovation setting up a new laboratory and implementing an open innovation program in support of Canfor Pulp’s Premium Reinforcement Pulp value proposition. CPI’s search and apply mandate resulted in significant collaborations with global pulp and paper research and technology providers and the implementation of initiatives including online technologies, novel fibre products, low energy LC refining and biofuel, supported in part by funding from the Pulp and Paper Industry Transformative Technologies program. He was also appointed adjunct professor at UBC’s Chemical Engineering department and served on the NSERC Research Partnerships committee which administered $180M annually to Canadian universities.
He returned to New Zealand in 2015 as technical manager for OjiFS Tasman mill and in 2017 was appointed technical manager for both the Tasman and Kinleith mills. In 2020 he joined the Radiata Pine Breeding Company as CEO. Paul currently provides consulting services to companies in Sweden, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
