USU hires two USTAR professosrs
Utah State University has recruited two researchers to join the growing group of scientists hired as part of the Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative.
Michael Lefevre will work with David York, a USTAR researcher who studies nutrition research, particularly animal models of obesity, mechanisms that control food intake and nutrient selection and metabolic hormone dependence in animal obesity.
Sridhar Viamajala will join the USU biodfuels team to assist with developing biofuel technologies that prove to be commercially viable.
Lefevre comes from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana where he served as chief of the division of functional foods research, as well as professor in the division of nutrition and chronic diseases. He was also an adjunct professor at the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana State University.
Lefevre is a fellow of the American Heart Association, belongs to the Council on Arteriosclerosis; the Council on Nutrition, Metabolism and Physical Activity; the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention; is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Institute of Food Technology. He earned his doctorate in nutrition with a minor in physiological sciences from the University of California Davis.
“I am excited to have Dr. Lefevre join my team because his botanical screening expertise will enhance our ability to develop a program in neutriceuticals,” said York. “This will give us an important avenue for interaction with the nutraceuticals industrial base located in Utah.”
Viamajala worked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, National Bioenergy Center in Golden, Colo., where he researched conversion of biomass to ethanol and the production of biodiesel.
After earning an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagphur, India, Viamajala moved to the United States to complete a doctorate at Washington State University in chemical engineering.
The USU biodiesel team includes Brett Barney, chemistry and biochemistry; Jeff Broadbent, nutrition and food sciences; Scott Ensign, chemistry and biochemistry; Carl Hansen, nutrition and food sciences; Conly Hansen, nutrition and food sciences and biological and irrigation engineering; Lance Seefeldt, chemistry and biochemistry; Ron Sims, biological and irrigation engineering; Byard Wood, mechanical and aerospace engineering; and Henry Nowak from the USU Technology Commercialization office.
“Dr. Viamajala’s experience at the National Renewable Energy Lab adds to the strength of our research team because it brings connections to the biofuels community that we didn’t have before,” said Wood. “We are very pleased he has decided to join our team.”
Lefevre will start at USU Aug. 1, and be based in the biology department in the College of Science. Viamajala joined the university in January as part of the biological irrigation engineering department in the College of Engineering.
Passed in the 2006 state legislative session, USTAR provides funding for research personnel and facilities at USU and the University of Utah. To maximize USTAR’s benefit, researchers are being hired in areas most likely to create the largest future return on investment. These industry “clusters,” defined by the governor’s Office of Economic Development, reflect the state’s current strengths and competitive advantages.
USTAR-funded researchers are expected to grow their sponsored research funding and promote technology commercialization by filing invention disclosures, patent applications and applying for business-related grants and programs.
The USTAR bill was sponsored by Utah Sen. Al Mansell and is designed to help Utah keep pace in scientific research and technological advancement – directly translating to a stronger economy, high-paying jobs, increased tax revenue and better quality of life, said USU Vice President for Research Brent Miller. The USTAR Economic Development Initiative leverages the proven success of Utah’s research universities in creating and commercializing innovative technologies.
Miller said one aspect of the cost effectiveness of the USTAR proposal is its focus on core areas of technology where Utah has a competitive advantage and billion-dollar industries are going to emerge: personalized and regenerative medicine, genetically linked cancer and neurological treatments, biotechnology applications for bio-defense and microbial biotechnology.
For more information on USTAR, visit http://www.usu.edu/research/ustar/about.cfm.