Can commercialism and sustainability live in harmony?

Leading the Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research, Dr. Suresh Narine is bridging the gap between environmental and business best practices

A Trent graduate with an M.Sc. in Chemical Physics, Dr. Suresh Narine ‘91 returned to his alma mater in 2009 as an award-winning teacher and acclaimed researcher inspiring students in Peterborough and his home country of Guyana to push the boundaries of biomaterials research at an incredible rate.

As the director of the Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research (TCBR), Dr. Suresh is on the cutting edge of research and technology development to examine the creation and use of biomaterials within an ethical framework, positioning Trent as a global leader in these emerging fields that will have an immeasurable impact on creating sustainable futures in Canada and beyond.

As one of the few labs of its kind in the world, Dr. Narine says the TCBR’s specialized work in fields including agriculture, organic chemistry, and materials science, provides students “the opportunity, at an early stage in their academic careers, to be involved in projects of potentially significant impact on the environment and on commercialization of new business ideas, which could additionally lead to authorship, patents or other career opportunities."

Under his leadership, the TCBR has developed collaborative research agreements in several countries, giving students the opportunity to participate in multi-country, multi-disciplinary research projects supported by industry and government partners. Prof. Narine was thrilled to welcome the first cohort of students to the Sustainable Guyana Program late in 2021; this program is aimed at shaping sustainable capacity building in his home country by increasing and retaining a pool of highly skilled workers.