School of Packaging Director Candidate #1 Seminar - Dr. Brian Via
January 21, 2026 10:00AM - 11:30AM
School of Packaging, Room 100 or Zoom
Public Seminar, SoP Director Position #1082263.
Designing the Future of Packaging at Michigan State University
Dr. Brian VIA
Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 10:00 am EST
In Person at:
448 Wilson Rd., Room 100
School of Packaging, MSU
Online Attendance: MSU ZOOM
Dr. Brian Via will deliver a public seminar titled “Designing the Future of Packaging at Michigan State University,” presenting a collaborative vision that builds on MSU’s research strengths to advance the Packaging 2.0 initiative. The seminar will address priorities for the first year, including faculty growth, resource alignment, and industry partnerships, while outlining a roadmap for impact at five and ten years. Dr. Via will discuss strategies to enhance the ongoing capital campaign, create funding opportunities for new faculty, and modernize teaching and research facilities. Leveraging MSU’s foundation and his experience in commercialization, interdisciplinary research, and fundraising, he will share approaches for expanding partnerships with alumni, industry, and community stakeholders to ensure long-term financial sustainability and global leadership in packaging education and research. His track record includes successful commercialization of FlameBlock for fire-retardant building materials and soy-substituted adhesives for sustainable packaging crates, demonstrating how translating research into real-world impact attracts donors and strengthens institutional growth.
Short Biography: Dr. Brian Via is Director of the Forest Products Development Center and Regions Bank 
Professor at Auburn University, with 17 years in academia and 14 years in the corporate world. This includes R&D leadership at International Paper and Louisiana Pacific, and retail experience at K-Mart. He thus brings comprehensive experience across the entire packaging supply chain, from timber to shelf, leading Auburn’s Sustainable Packaging undergraduate curriculum and strengthening faculty hires in bioplastics, food packaging, nanotechnology, and packaging systems. Dr. Via has secured over $54 million in research funding, holds multiple patents on soy-based adhesives, and successfully conducted a 2025 mill trial advancing soy-based phenol formaldehyde adhesives toward commercialization in packaging crates. Early in his career, he initiated research that later commercialized as FlameBlock®, which leads in market share for the fire-retardant market. He has raised $3 million in philanthropic gifts and is President of the nonprofit Forest Products Society where he worked in teams to raise donorship dollars. As Editor-in-Chief of the Forest Products Journal, he applied Blue Ocean marketing strategies to increase its impact factor and topic breadth, including packaging. He is enthusiastic about leveraging this corporate and academic experience to advance MSU’s Packaging 2.0 initiative through world-class research, innovative teaching, and industry partnerships.
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