Contact: Bob Ratliff
A Cornell University scientist will direct Mississippi State University's new Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute.
Alan Wood, who assumes his duties this spring, comes to the state from the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at the Ithaca, N.Y., institution. His research there has included the development of biologically based pest management strategies.
"Dr. Wood brings national stature and an exceptional record of achievements to this critical leadership role," said Charles Lee, vice president for MSU's Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine. "He has been very successful in developing resources for research and in the application of new scientific breakthroughs to agriculture and industry."
The Jackson-based Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation and Mississippi Technology Inc. are partners with the university in establishing the biotechnology institute. The institute's goal is to increase economic development in Mississippi based on the biological sciences.
Lee said the program builds on the university's existing biotechnology strengths in plant genetic engineering, waste bioremediation, animal health, and pest and disease control. It also will work to promote new areas of research.
The MSU-based Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station coordinated the institute's creation. The colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the MSU Extension Service and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, are major contributors.
"Dr. Wood's ability to foster collaborations between researchers from different areas of science will be valuable in his lead role at the cross-disciplinary Life Sciences Biotechnology Institute," said MAFES director Vance Watson.
Wood also has experience in moving scientific discoveries from university laboratories to broad commercial applications. He is co-founder of AgriVirion Inc., a producer of inexpensive, environmentally safe bioengineered pesticides.
Wood previously headed a national United States Forest Service research team studying the use of biological pest control agents in the forest environment.
In 1994, Wood was appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Biotechnology Advisory Committee, where he helped develop policies and rules related to the release of genetically engineered animals and plants. He also serves as a consultant to the federal Environmental Protection Agency on ecologically friendly field-testing and release of genetically enhanced viral insecticides.
Wood holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Middlebury (Vt.) College and a master's and doctorate in virology from Purdue University.
This release was written by Charmain Tan Courcelle of the MSU Office of Agricultural Communications.