Jane Paulson

Senior Engineer

 janep2@umn.edu | 612–624–1826

Jane joined MnTAP in 2013 as a senior engineer. Her primary focus has been green chemistry, volatile organic compounds (VOC) reduction, and chemical substitution projects. These include leading MnTAP’s efforts to help businesses eliminate Trichloroethylene (TCE) and comply with Minnesota’s first-in-the-nation ban, and helping businesses navigate the emerging area of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). She has led multiple community-based projects that helped some of Minnesota’s smallest businesses switch to safer chemicals. As a subject matter expert in Lean Manufacturing, Jane serves as the go-to person for incorporating Lean tools and methodology with pollution prevention to eliminate waste of all kinds. 

Jane’s interest in pollution prevention began with an elective course as a junior in Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her favorite parts of working at MnTAP are observing diverse manufacturing processes and winning over skeptics by finding win-win solutions that save companies money while reducing waste and improving environmental performance.

Prior to MnTAP, Jane spent 14 years at 3M in the Drug Delivery Systems and Film Divisions. She held positions in quality, development, and manufacturing, and spent time at five different 3M plants. Following 3M, she worked for one year as a medical device qualification engineer at Olympus Surgical Technologies America. She is glad to bring her broad experiences to help Minnesota businesses. 

Outside of work she enjoys rock climbing, backpacking, skiing and snowboarding with her husband and two young daughters.

Education / Training

• Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering – University of Wisconsin – Madison
• Six Sigma Green Belt
• Certified Energy Manager (CEM)