CBE Centennial Seminar Series: Julie Willoughby (CIRC/Blue Hummingbird)

Intertwining Science & Creativity to Improve Humanity and Our Planet

Biography

Dr. Willoughby is the Chief Innovation Officer of Blue Hummingbird, LLC where she combines scientific and creative design to help clients commercialize climate-positive technology.  She served as the Chief Scientific and Commercialization Officer at Circ®, Inc. from 2019-2023; leading the team from recycling one t-shirt a day in a lab reactor to a semi-commercial continuous operation.  This work led Circ® to be a 2023 The Earthshot Prize finalist. Previous to her entrepreneurial roles with start-up companies, Willoughby drove corporate entrepreneurship in Nike’s material and manufacturing innovation departments and served as a faculty member in the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.  She is an expert in the fields of textiles & nonwovens, surface chemistry & surface dynamics, coatings, and utilization of renewable resources as feedstock for advanced materials.  Her work as the principal investigator for a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenge Exploration grant resulted in a commercial “Wrap & Plant” cellulosic fiber technology that provided smallholder farmers in Africa with over a 50% increase in their crop yields.  Willoughby is an avid scientific author and inventor in the areas of polymers, silicone chemistry, interfacial and surface science, and barrier packaging. Her 25+ year career as a chemical engineer has spanned multiple industries – chemical, pulp & paper, packaging, life sciences, textiles and fashion.

Dr. Willoughby has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University.