Dr. Christopher Nomura joined the CAES Steering Committee on October 1, when he became University of Idaho's vice president of research and economic development.
I am so excited to work with President (Scott) Green and the University of Idaho community to build on the strong foundation already in place and elevate research to new heights, Nomura said in a news release announcing his appointment.
Dr. Nomura joins Dr. Marianne Walck, INL’s 
deputy lab director for Science and Technology and chief research officer; Dr. Harold Blackman, interim vice president of research and economic development at Boise State University; Dr. Donna Lybecker, acting vice president of research and economic development at Idaho State University; and Dr. Edmund Synakowski, vice president of research and economic development at University of Wyoming, on the CAES Steering Committee.
At UI, Nomura replaced Janet Nelson, who served in the position since 2016. Brad Ritts, U of I's associate vice president for research and a faculty member in the Department of Geological Sciences, had been serving as interim vice president of research and economic development since February, 2020.
Nomura earned a bachelor's degree in biology from University of California at Santa Cruz and his doctoral degree in biochemistry, microbiology and molecular biology at Pennsylvania State University. An internationally recognized scientist/administrator, Nomura has more than 85 publications in top journals in his field and serves on several editorial boards. Prior to his arrival at UI, Nomura was vice president for research and a biochemistry professor at State University of New York's (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry. At SUNY, Nomura also oversaw McIntire-Stennis funding, which is designed to increase forestry research and train future forestry scientists.
Christopher Nomura has extensive experience fostering industry collaborations and working with both national and international research funding agencies, U of I President Scott Green said in the news release announcing Nomura's appointment. His talent and energy will be valuable additions as the University of Idaho continues to grow our research enterprise in service to the state of Idaho.
Nomura, who has a lengthy record of mentoring high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs and visiting scientists, has strong international connections to the RIKEN Institute (Japan), Hubei University (China) and Centro Nacional Patagonica (Argentina).