If you choose insulation boards made of polystyrene, you choose Bengt Gustaf Ranby. His research is considered a classic contribution to polymer chemistry. Rånby studied at the universities of Lund and Uppsala. After his habilitation, he worked as a lecturer in physical chemistry and went to the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn as a DuPont Research Fellow, then to Stockholm and the American Viscose Corporation. In 1958 he became a professor at the State University of New York, and shortly thereafter director of the Empire State Paper Research Institute in Syracuse. He returned to Sweden in 1961.
The polymer engineer was active internationally as a lecturer and visiting professor, including in the USA, Japan, China and also in Austria. He was honored many times, receiving, among others, the Hermann Mark Medal, the Anselme Payen Award of the American Chemical Society and the Distinguished Service Award of the Japanese Society of Polymer Science. He published more than 400 articles and several books.