Dr. Nick Triantafillopoulos, an internationally recognized expert in coating process technologies and rheology, is the director of polymer innovation for the Akron Technology Center of OMNOVA Solutions Inc.
Triantafillopoulos received a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Athens in 1979. He then came to WMU to earn a bachelor’s degree, and a master’s degree in paper science and engineering. Over the course of the next five years, Triantafillopoulos worked as a research scientist, engineer and scientific advisor for several Midwest companies while earning a doctorate in 1991 from the Institute of Paper Science and Technology in Atlanta.
OMNOVA Solutions, known for its innovative emulsion polymers and specialty chemicals, hired Triantafillopoulos as a senior research associate in 1992 and since then, he has held several positions of increasing responsibility. Named to his current position in 2000, Triantafillopoulos oversees OMNOVA's activities in the areas of polymer innovation, analytical solutions and new product development for paper and carpet. He added to these responsibilities in 2003, when he was named director of new technologies for RohmNova, OMNOVA’s paper coatings joint venture with Rohm & Haas.
Triantafillopoulos holds four patents and is a technical editor for several professional journals. He has received numerous honors for his technical innovation and leadership in the paper science and printing industry, including a fellowship from the Technical Association of the Paper and Pulp Industry, a recognition given to only one percent of the association's 24,000 worldwide members.