Sokhansanj's core research is in feedstock engineering focusing on harvesting, drying, fractionating, and densification of cellulosic biomass. These processes add value to an otherwise low value commodity. The work has evolved in two fronts: (1) experimenting with innovative biomass preprocesses to acquire engineering data for design and optimum operation of individual unit operations; and (2) developing engineering models for simulation of unit operations for optimizing the entire supply chains. Sokhansanj's research has resulted in the development of a highly successful modeling platform IBSAL (Integrated Biomass Supply Analysis & Logistics). This dynamic modeling environment is constructed on GIS spatial data, engineering processes, operations research, and real time climate data. A value chain that consists of a sequence of operations is constructed from an ensemble of modules available in a library. The elements of the IBSAL have been validated through peer reviewed publications in engineering journals.