The research function at Iowa State University is overseen by the Vice President of Research and supported by a trio of Chief Technology Officers. Together, this team works with individual researchers across disciplines to foster exploration.
Four strategic pillars serve as the foundation for Iowa State University’s vision to lead the world in advancing the land-grant ideals of putting science, technology, and human creativity to work. These pillars encompass themes of acknowledged areas of excellence at Iowa State and, most importantly, give structure and direction to make a difference for our state and world in the years ahead.
The EDIR team is skilled in connecting individuals and organizations with researchers in their areas and industries of interest.
VPR
Dr. Peter K. Dorhout is Vice President of Research at Iowa State University. Under his leadership, Iowa State University researchers are bettering society through groundbreaking research. From foundational research that contributes building blocks to greater exploration, to translational research that leads directly to new innovations and solutions, Iowa State University researchers collaborate across disciplines to improve lives in Iowa, the nation, and the world.
Dr. Dorhout is a distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Vice President for Research at Iowa State University, with affiliations at Ames National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory. Previously, he held leadership roles at Kansas State University, including Vice President for Research and Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. He also served as Interim Provost at Colorado State University-Pueblo.
His extensive career includes collaborative work at Los Alamos National Laboratory and leadership positions in various organizations, such as the American Chemical Society, where he was the 2018 President. He currently co-chairs the Safe and Inclusive Working Group of the Council on Research Executive Committee, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
A renowned expert in solid-state and nuclear materials science, as well as environmental chemistry, he has authored 120+ peer-reviewed publications and delivered over 130 invited lectures. Dr. Dorhout holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he has received numerous professional awards, including Fellowships from the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
CTOs
Iowa State University Chief Technology Officers (CTO) serve an important role as a liaison between industry and researchers on campus. Each CTO offers in-depth knowledge in their area of expertise, and works closely with industry partners and research teams at Iowa State to identify technologies with commercial potential. Iowa State's CTOs are:
Kevin Moore, Biobased Products
Kevin Moore serves in the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Biobased Products. In his role as CTO, Moore serves as a conduit between research and industry. He works closely with the Biobased Products platform lead, Brent Shanks, and Iowa State researchers – along with the BioConnect Iowa CEO and staff – to help identify promising emerging technologies and facilitate their development into commercial products. From 2017 through 2021, Moore served first as vice president for the Advanced Separations Group then vice president for BioProcess Solutions for Trucent, Inc., a leader in industrial fluid separation technologies, services and chemistries. Prior to that, he served in a variety of capacities during his 27-year tenure with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Company, including vice president of BioProducts Operations, vice president of the BioProducts and Industrial Group, and vice president and then president of Renewable Chemicals.
Michael Roof, Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics
Michael Roof serves as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics research and innovation platform. In his role as CTO, Roof leads efforts to identify and accelerate development of new technologies and innovations with strong commercial potential. Roof works closely with research teams at Iowa State and the University of Iowa to identify technologies with commercial potential in the platform space. He also works in tandem with the Iowa Innovation Corporation (IIC) CEO and staff to prioritize those opportunities for commercial development within Iowa. Roof has nearly three full decades of vaccines and animal pharmaceuticals experience, with 22 years spent with industry leader Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.
Nadilia Gomez, Digital and Precision Agriculture
Nadilia Gomez serves as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Digital and Precision Agriculture research and innovation platform. In her role as CTO, Gomez works closely with Iowa State’s Plant Sciences Institute and university researchers to identify technologies with commercial potential in the Digital and Precision Agriculture space. She also works in tandem with the BioConnect Iowa CEO and staff to prioritize relevant opportunities for commercial development within Iowa. Gomez most recently served as executive director for the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator. For the decade prior to that, she served in a variety of roles for DuPont-Pioneer and Corteva Agriscience, including the role of digital pillar leader.