Mark Kortschot is Chair of the University of Toronto's Division of Engineering Science and a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. His research in the areas of carbon fibre composites, natural fibre composites and paper has resulted in more than 120 refereed publications and four patents. Professor Kortschot received the Alan Blizzard Award for his role in creating the University of Toronto's Engineering Strategies and Practice course; the flagship course for the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. A successful designer and entrepreneur, he co-founded Légère Reeds Ltd. and recently invented the Sole Skate, named one of TIME's Top 10 toys of 2010.