Mark Irle
British wood scientist and senior researcher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Irle (London, 1960) is a British wood scientist, senior researcher at the École Supérieure du Bois and research coordinator at the FCBA, who is an elected fellow (FIAWS) of the International Academy of Wood Science[1] and a member of the Académie d'Agriculture de France.[2][3][4]
- Researcher
- educator
- wood scientist
Mark Irle | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 21, 1960 |
| Alma mater | University of Wales at Bangor |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | Since 1986 |
| Known for | Studies on wood-based panels |
| Awards | Fellow of the IAWS (2020) Fellow of the Académie d'Agriculture de France (2024) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Wales
|
| Thesis | Physical Aspects of Wood Adhesive Bond Formation with Formaldehyde Based Adhesives (1986) |
Research career
Irle holds a BSc degree in wood science (1982). He got his doctorate degree in wood technology in 1986 from the University of Wales in Bangor. He has had a background in teaching and research in the United Kingdom (Biocomposite Centre at Bangor, Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College), before relocating to ESB-France in 2002.[5]
He is currently the director of research at the École supérieure du bois (ESB) in Nantes.[6] He has served as the executive director of InnovaWood, a European network for innovation in the forest-based sector from 2017 to 2021.[7] He also serves as a member at the editorial boards of scientific journals: International Wood Products Journal,[8] Wood Material Science and Engineering,[9] and European Journal of Wood and Wood Products.
His research is related to wood-based composites[10] and has participated in European projects such as CaReWood, which aimed to enhance the recyclability of wood based materials.[11] His work also includes the extraction and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from post-consumer wood fiberboard waste.[12]
Irle has supervised several doctoral theses at the École centrale de Nantes, focusing on topics like wood hygiene, recycling of solid wood and MDF, and the development of biosourced composites.[13][14][15] He has also been involved in various European research initiatives, including the FLEXIBI project,[16][17] and the EU-funded Horizon project EcoReFibre, which explores recycling methods for old, waste fiberboards.[18]
Until August 2025, the research work of Irle has received more than 5,500 citations at Google Scholar.[19]