Joe-Lahai Sormana holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA, U.S.A.During his graduate studies, Dr. Sormana co-authored several technical papers that were published in high-impact scientific journals. He was a member of both The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE)and the American Chemical Society (ACS) and he has presented and published his research findingsat the national conferences of both AICHE and ACS. He is a member of the Sierra Leone Institute of Engineers.
After graduating with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Dr. Sormana worked as a Senior Engineer/Scientist at the Rohm and Haas Company in Spring House, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.As a Senior Engineer/Scientist, he worked on multiple projects including (1) optimizing process conditions for the synthesis of ion-exchange resins for water and drug purification, (2) synthesis of pressure-sensitive adhesives for adhesion to low-surface energy substrates, and (3) development of structure-property relationships for polymeric coatings using information obtained from various analytical measurements. After the acquisition of Rohm and Haas Company by The Dow Chemical Company in 2009, Dr. Sormana continued his career with The Dow Chemical Company. At Dow, he was part of a team of researchers responsible for developing novel polymers for their use as industrial coatings.
Dr. Sormana resigned from The Dow Chemical Company in March2011 and relocated to Sierra Leone to startup a small-scale palm oil processing mill in Bo. Funding for the processing mill was partly provided by a grant awarded in recognition of being one of fourteen winners in a business plan competition that was sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr Sormana designed, installed, and successfully commissioned the palm oil processing mill in December 2011. He ran the palm oil processing mill for a couple of years before moving to Addax Bioenergy as the Laboratory/Quality Assurance Manager.
At Addax, he led, trained and managed Laboratory personnel during the development, commissioning and operations of the Addax Bioenergy Bioethanol and Power Production factory for several years before becoming the Distillery/Production Manager. As Distillery/Production Manager, he managed the bioethanol production processes, and was also responsible for ensuring and monitoring the quality of water fed to the boilers for the production of power.
More recently, he served as Director of Ministerial Coordination and Cabinet Follow-Up in the Office of The Chief Minister. In this role, he supported the Chief Minister, Professor David J. Francis in delivering his mandate of coordinating the activities of all ministries to make sure their activities are aligned with government priorities and ensuring efficient and effective service delivery for the people of Sierra Leone.
