Dean Thomas W. Lester announced on Friday, May 20, 2011 that Dr. Sue Nokes, Ph.D., P.E. has been appointed as chair of the biosystems and agriculture engineering department.

“Dr. Nokes has compiled an excellent record as a teacher and scholar,” said Dean Lester in his announcement, “and has served as director of undergraduate studies. She will assume her position this summer following the departure of Dr. Scott Shearer, who has accepted the same position at The Ohio State University. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Nokes on her new appointment.”

Dr. Nokes received her B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural engineering from The Ohio State University and her Ph.D. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from North Carolina State.

Her research specialty areas are solid-state fermentation for the production of industrial enzymes, modeling of compressed solvent extraction processes for enhanced biomass conversion using thermophilic bacteria and production of enzymes using thermophilic, anaerobic bacteria in solid state cultivation.