NC STATE UNIVERSITY - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Executive Director
• NC PSI Staff Member
• Executive Director of the NC Plant Sciences Initiative

Bio With more than 30 years of experience in the agricultural sector, Adrian Percy is an advocate of the need for and benefits of modern agriculture. He is also a strong proponent of the development and adoption of new agricultural and food technologies that support global food security while conserving the environment and supporting rural community development. Adrian is the inaugural Executive Director of the NC Plant Sciences Initiative (NC PSI) at North Carolina State University as of November 1, 2021. The NC PSI aims to exploit inter-disciplinary science and technology through public private partnerships to advance the plant sciences to the benefit of growers, consumers, and other food chain stakeholders. He also is a Venture Partner at Finistere Ventures LLC, a technology and life sciences venture capital investor, focused on transforming the food value chain. Adrian serves on the board of directors of BioLumic, HiFidelity Genetics, and Evogene. He is a member of the science and technology boards of Oerth Bio, Terramera, Biotalys and Rothamsted Research and hosts the AgTech360 podcast on behalf of NC State's Center for Excellence in Regulatory Science in Agriculture (CERSA). Prior to joining NC State, Adrian served as the Chief Technology Officer of UPL Ltd a major crop protection company that is a leader in global food systems. He was also the Head of Research and Development for the Crop Science division of Bayer and part of their executive committee. In that role, he had responsibility for internal and open innovation activities in the areas of crop protection chemistry and biologicals, as well as seeds and traits. During his 25-year tenure at Bayer and its legacy companies, he also held numerous positions in agricultural research and development in France, Germany, and the United States. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Adrian earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacology at the University of Liverpool, as well as a master's degree in toxicology and a doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Birmingham. He now resides in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, USA, with his wife and two children.

Job Titles:

• Communications Specialist
• NC PSI Staff Member
• University Programs Specialist

Job Titles:

• Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

Job Titles:

• Communications Specialist
• Executive

Job Titles:

• Director of Strategic Engagement
• Director of Strategic Engagement / Director of Strategic Engagement NC Food Lab ( NCFIL )

Celeste Brogdon serves as Director of Strategic Engagement for both the NC Food Innovation Lab and the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI). She has been involved with NC State's Food Manufacturing Initiative and N.C. PSI for several years. Her main role is creating, building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders and shared corporate partners for both initiatives. In addition, Celeste assists with strategy and connection with NC State's main campus in Raleigh.

Job Titles:

• Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Job Titles:

• Executive Assistant
• NC PSI Staff Member

Job Titles:

• Assistant Professor
• Department of Applied Ecology
• Specialist

Dr. Khara Grieger is currently an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Environmental Health & Risk Assessment. Her research focuses on best practices for risk assessment, risk management, and stakeholder engagement related to the governing of emerging risks and new technologies. For example, she is currently the Project Director for a USDA/NIFA-funded grant that investigates the societal implications of nanomaterials used in food and agricultural sectors. She is also the PI of a grant that aims to grow the field of risk science in the Research Triangle Park area of NC, through funding provided by the Society for Risk Analysis. Further, she is a Co-PI in a NC State-funded GRIP4PSI grant that develops new technologies for use in the sweetpotato industry in North Carolina (Williams = PI) in which she leads the stakeholder engagement efforts, and Co-PI on a NSF-funded grant that focuses on governance of climate management technologies (Borsuk = PI). She is also involved in the NSF-funded Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN) housed at NC State University (Jones = PI), a member of the Center for Human Health and Environment (Smart = PI), and Executive Committee Member in the Genetic Engineering and Society (GES) Center at NC State. In addition to research, Dr. Grieger also serves as an external advisory board member for a large European project focused on risk governance (RiskGONE), is the US Co-Chair for a US-EU Risk Management & Control Community of Research (COR) focused on nanomaterial risks, and an External Advisory Board member for the Town of Cary, NC. Prior to joining Applied Ecology, she served as a Senior Research Scholar in the GES Center from March 2019 through June 2020. She also was a Senior Environmental Research Scientist at RTI International in the Health and Environmental Risk Analysis program (2012-2019), a Duke University Scholar (2017-2018), and Adjunct Professor at Meredith College (2014).

Job Titles:

• Director of Operations
• NC PSI Staff Member
• Director of Operations for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative
• Director of Operations, N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative

Bio Geoff Bock is the Director of Operations for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI) within NC State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). He serves as the CALS administrative liaison with PSI strategic planning consultants and task forces, and manages all day-to-day operations and project activities within the new Plant Sciences Building. Geoff previously served as Director of Marketing and Business Development at The Hamner Institutes in Research Triangle Park, where he worked to grow the Institutes' cutting-edge safety science research platforms. He also co-managed the Hamner's Biosciences Accelerator, which supported promising human health technologies in North Carolina by helping them on the path towards commercialization. Geoff has over 10 years of experience working in various functions and across a multitude of environments in the biotech and life sciences sectors in both the Washington, DC area and the Research Triangle. He holds Master's degrees in Microbial Biotechnology (MMB) and Business Administration (MBA) from NC State University, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland.

Job Titles:

• Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Job Titles:

• Research Computing Manager

Job Titles:

• Research Operation Manager

Job Titles:

• Research Project Coordinator ( Greenhouse )

Job Titles:

• Principal Investigator of the Biocarbon Utilization & Sequestration

Dr. Sagues is the Principal Investigator of the Biocarbon Utilization & Sequestration (BUS) Lab in the Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department at NC State University. He has experience in research, development, and demonstration of innovative bioprocessing technologies at corporations, universities, and national labs. During graduate school, he conducted independent research as a Technology-to-Market Scholar at the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) and as an Office of Science Graduate Student Research Fellow (SCGSR) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Job Titles:

• Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Dr. Whitehill leads the Christmas Tree Genetics (CTG) program, which is a research program housed in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University. The CTG program's mission is to serve the tree breeding and Christmas tree genetic resource needs of the Christmas Tree industry in the state and nationally through coordinated research, extension and outreach activities. Our research leverages the disciplines of forest genetics, forest health, genomics, and chemical ecology to support the health, productivity, and long-term sustainability of the Christmas tree industry. The CTG program is responsible for research activities that engage participation from entities with interests in the long-term success of the Christmas tree industry including the North Carolina Department of Agriculture (NCDA), NC Christmas Tree Association (NCCTA), Eastern NC Christmas Tree Growers Association (ENCCTGA), North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS) and Christmas tree growers throughout NC. Research projects relate to developing novel genomics/genetic tools to screen tree genotypes and identify elite individuals with enhanced pest/pathogen resistance, climate resilience, aroma characteristics, needle retention and added value to the industry. Major research focus will be on gene and mechanism discovery to improve Christmas trees through genomic approaches. Addressed through projects of population genetics, host-pathogen/insect interactions, genomic resources, biochemical analyses, microscopy, and the CTG Fraser fir breeding program. Dr. Whitehill also serves as the Co-director of the Forest Biotechnology Group with Dr. Jack Wang at NC State University. Professional Affiliations American Society of Plant Biologists (2017-Present) Entomological Society of America (2008-Present) International Society of Chemical Ecology (2009, 2011, 2014)

Dr. Stapelmann studies the interactions of technical plasmas with biological systems on a macromolecular level. Her focus is on the characterization and optimization of plasma discharges used for biomedical applications and the understanding and improvement of plasmas used e.g. in medicine. The applications range from wound healing to air purification, sterilization of medical instruments as well as for planetary protection purposes. Furthermore, plasma-liquid interactions and plasma discharges in liquids belong to the repertoire. Education Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Ruhr University Bochum, Germany 2013 M.S. Electrical Engineering Ruhr University Bochum, Germany 2009

Job Titles:

• Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Director of the Science

Dr. Jacob Jones is a Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Director of the Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center (www.steps-center.org), Director and Principal Investigator of the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (www.rtnn.org), former Director of the Analytical Instrumentation Facility (www.aif.ncsu.edu), and a University Faculty Scholar. Jones' research interests involve developing structure-property-processing relationships in emerging functional materials, primarily through the use of advanced X-ray and neutron scattering tools. Jones has published over 240 papers and delivered over 130 invited lectures on these topics since 2004. Jones is a Fellow of the IEEE Society and the American Ceramic Society and has received numerous awards for his research and education activities, including an NSF CAREER award, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the IEEE Ferroelectrics Young Investigator Award, the 2019 NC State Alumni Association Outstanding Research Award, the 2016-2017 NC State College of Engineering George H. Blessis Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award, a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Defense Program Award of Excellence, and a UF-HHMI Science for Life Distinguished Mentor Award for his mentoring of undergraduate researchers, and two Edward C. Henry "Best Paper" awards from the Electronics Division of the American Ceramic Society. Jones is known for promoting international science and engineering initiatives. He has been Principal Investigator on three NSF awards to provide international research experiences to U.S. students at foreign research laboratories. Using these programs, Jones has enabled over 50 U.S. students to obtain international research experiences overseas and has hosted a multitude of foreign students at U.S. institutions. Since 2012, he has been a Senior Visiting Fellow in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales. At NC State, he is engaged in the University Global Partnership Network (UGPN) and promotes interactions with the University of Surrey in the U.K. and the University of Wollongong in Australia. In recognition of his international activities, Jones received the International Educator of the Year award (Senior Faculty Awardee) from the University of Florida International Center in 2012. Jones participates and leads many interdisciplinary teams and projects on topics including nanotechnology, crystallography, functional materials in environmental applications, water sustainability, and healthcare. Many of these interdisciplinary collaborations utilize the suite of analytical tools and in situ capabilities available within the Analytical Instrumentation Facility. Representative projects include collaborations with statisticians and mathematicians in applying Bayesian inference to crystallographic structure refinement and the use of nanotechnology and materials science in environmental remediation and water treatment. As a representative example of the latter, from 2017-2019, Jones led an interdisciplinary project through the highly competitive Game-Changing Research Incentive Program (GRIP) at NC State on the topic "Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology: Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the Solid-Water Interface team."," which helped to seed the STEPS Center. Jones is an elected member of the Research Leadership Academy at NC State, the faculty-driven epicenter of research leadership and faculty mentoring to enhance NC State's research culture, and has interdisciplinary leadership training in Team Science. Jones received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2004, after which he completed an international postdoctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundation at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. He was an Assistant and Associate Professor in the Department of MSE at the University of Florida from 2006-2013 and joined NC State in August of 2013. Dr. Jones's research interests include functional materials such as piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials, materials for phosphorus recovery, nanomaterials, mechanics of materials, and the promotion of international science and engineering.

Dr. Xiang is the Principle Investigator of the Automation and Robotics Lab in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at North Carolina State University. She received her Ph.D. degree in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from Iowa State University and her B.S. degree in Biosystems Engineering from Zhejiang University. Dr. Xiang works on agricultural robotics, 2D & 3D computer vision, and machine learning. During her Ph.D. program, she has developed robotic and automated systems for both indoor and in-field plant phenotyping applications. Dr. Xiang joined BAE in August 2022. Education Ph.D. Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Iowa State University 2022 B.S. Biosystems Engineering Zhejiang University, China 2014

Job Titles:

• Biology and Ecology

Job Titles:

• Department of Materials Science and Engineering ( College of Engineering )
• Department of Materials Science and Engineering ( College of Engineering ) Research Associate Professor / Managing Director of STEPS
• Managing Director of STEPS

Maude Cuchiara is the managing director of STEPS and a Research Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State. She also currently serves as an Advisor to the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN), a site in the NSF-funded National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI). In her previous role, Associate Director of the RTNN, she facilitated client and user interactions with RTNN as well as communicated RTNN news, information, and events to relevant stakeholders. She continues to engage with RTNN by participating in the planning and implementation of workshops, conferences, and outreach activities. Through coordination of expertise at the three RTNN institutions - NC State, UNC, and Duke - she successfully secured both collaborative REU and RET site awards that leveraged RTNN faculty strengths and technical resources. Maude actively collaborated with peer NNCI sites through participation and leadership in several working groups including Education and Outreach, Workforce Development, Evaluation, and Online Technical Content (chair). She also participates in NIFA/USDA supported research aimed at understanding stakeholder perceptions on the use of nanotechnology and other emerging technologies in food and agriculture. Maude earned undergraduate degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Spanish Language and Literature from NC State. At NC State, Maude was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, a dual-degree program that aims to train engineers who can approach technical problems while also considering ethical and social perspectives. Maude then pursued her graduate degree in Bioengineering at Rice University. Her dissertation work focused on the development of novel biomaterials for the expansion of hematopoietic (blood) stem cells. During graduate school, she interned at the National Science Foundation in the Biomedical Engineering program housed in CBET (Engineering Directorate), where she helped NSF-funded researchers communicate their work to the public and researched best practices to support multidisciplinary projects. As a graduate scholar in the Science and Technology Policy Program at the Baker Institute for Public Policy (housed at Rice), she studied stem cell policy and regulation publishing several articles and policy briefs. After graduating, Maude served as a research scientist in the West Lab for Biofunctional Materials at Rice University and later Duke University while continuing her work with the Baker Institute as a non-resident scholar. Through these experiences, Maude has gained great appreciation for the diverse talents and approaches required to tackle the world's wicked problems. She brings a unique skillset to STEPS and will use her expertise to support STEPS goals and realize the 25-in-25 vision.

Job Titles:

• Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Job Titles:

• Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Job Titles:

• PSI Science Communications Specialist

Job Titles:

• Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

Job Titles:

• PSI Platform Director Role

Job Titles:

• Director Emerging Plant Disease and Global Food Security Cluster
• Distinguished Professor
• Distinguished Professor, University Faculty Scholar