AMES, Iowa -- James Reecy, associate professor of animal science at Iowa State University, will become director of the university's Office of Biotechnology on July 1. Reecy will transition into the position by becoming the associate director on April 1. In addition to his new role, Reecy will continue his research and teaching in the department of animal science.
Reecy succeeds Walter Fehr, a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture, who has served as director since the Office of Biotechnology was established in 1984. Fehr will continue his plant breeding teaching and soybean breeding research in Iowa State's agronomy department.
As part of his new responsibilities, Reecy will assume a leadership role in initiatives to help Iowa State adapt to the changing nature of biotechnology as the discipline evolves and expands. These initiatives include hiring outstanding faculty researchers, providing outstanding service facilities that meet the needs of Iowa State researchers, promoting the public's understanding of biotechnology, and developing new strategies to maintain the university's leading role in biotechnology research, outreach and technology transfer.
Reecy joined Iowa State University in 1999. Since then, his research has focused on the molecular and quantitative genetics of beef cattle, as well as early heart development, skeletal muscle growth and livestock bioinformatics. Reecy's interest in developing bioinformatics resources for livestock led to his appointment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as its national bioinformatics coordinator.
"I'm looking forward to working with researchers across campus to address the biotechnology challenges in agriculture, human and animal health, industrial processing and other endeavors vital to our nation and the rest of the world," Reecy said. "During my 10 years at Iowa State, I've seen first hand the wide-ranging expertise and dedication of the biotechnology faculty, support personnel and students. Working together, I know our efforts can propel Iowa State University to new levels of biotechnology achievement."
Reecy received a B.S. in animal science (1990) from South Dakota State University, Brookings; an M.S. in animal science/ruminant nutrition (1992) from the University of Missouri -- Columbia; a Ph.D. (1995) in animal science/growth and development from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.; and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cell biology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
For more about the Iowa State University Office of Biotechnology, see www.biotech.iastate.edu.
