NCERC Post-Doc Brings DDGS Expertise to SIUE
News Release
Contact: Courtney Breckenridge
cbreckenridge@ethanolresearch.com
Office: 618-659-6737 ext. 230
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Fallahi to the NCERC’s research team,” NCERC Director John Caupert said. “Parisa’s wealth of expertise in the food and feed industries, both as a student and during her 10 years of industrial experience, enables her to immediately contribute to ongoing research and to open the door to new research opportunities at the Center.”
Fallahi received her MS in Chemical Engineering from Azad University in Tehran and a PhD in Biological Sciences and Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from South Dakota State University. She authored five publications and a book chapter from her doctoral research, with seven additional articles pending submission. Fallahi was mentored by Dres. Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan and Kurt Rosentrater, luminaries in the field of coproducts research as well as collaborators in previous NCERC projects.
The Illinois Corn Marketing Board and SIUE partnered to provide seed funding for NCERC’s postdoctoral fellowship program following the Center’s recent breakthroughs in corn kernel fiber conversion and feedstock characterization.
“The NCERC continues to be an incredible asset to public and private researchers and the biofuels industry as a whole,” ICMB Chairman and Okawville farmer Larry Hasheider said. “From accelerating the commercialization of new technologies to increasing production efficiency and developing value-added coproducts, the NCERC has defined the cutting edge of the biofuels research for more than a decade. We believe this investment will yield tremendous dividends for the biofuels and agriculture industries through continued research breakthroughs.”
Fallahi and Dr. Arun Athmanathan, the Center’s postdoctoral fellow specializing in biomass research, will work under Research Director Dr. Sabrina Trupia to extend upon the Center’s existing research and identify new areas of study. In addition to immediately submitting multiple grant proposals with Trupia, Fallahi and Athmanathan have been invited to present posters at the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC) June 2-4 in Louisville, Kentucky. Fallahi’s research will also be on display at the Distillers Grains Symposium May 14-15 in Dallas.
About the NCERC
The NCERC is a nationally recognized research center dedicated to the development and commercialization of biofuels, specialty chemicals and other renewable compounds. The Center’s fully functional dry grind pilot plant and laboratories are equipped with advanced biofuels capabilities including corn fractionation, pretreatment, and a fermentation suite with 5, 30, 150 and 1500L scale-up. Facilities are staffed by industry veterans with more than 100 years of collective experience in fermentation and biofuels production. This knowledgeable team has the flexibility and expertise to design and carry out projects in any region of the advanced biofuels or specialty chemicals space. For more information, contact Courtney Breckenridge, (618) 659-6737 ext. 230, cbreckenridge@ethanolresearch.com, or visit http://www.ethanolresearch.com.
