Professorships

Jun 16, 2020

Plant Aid: A Big-Data Project to Detect Plant Diseases Faster

Jean Ristaino, a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in Entomology and Plant Pathology, is leading an interdisciplinary team of researchers working to combine small sensors with big data to detect diseases plaguing tomato fields. The resulting Plant-Aid database will alert farmers about the cause of the stress and suggest possible mitigation strategies — all before symptoms are visible to the naked eye. 

Jun 2, 2020

There’s an ‘I’ in Team: Why 3D Team Leadership is Necessary in Uncertain Times

Bradley Kirkman, General (Ret.) H. Hugh Shelton Distinguished Professor of Leadership and head of NC State's Department of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, recently discussed his co-authored book "3D Team Leadership: A New Approach for Complex Teams." 

May 26, 2020

How Habitat Destruction Enables the Spread of Diseases Like COVID-19

Roland Kays, a research professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, and Erin Sills, the Edwin F. Conger Professor and associate head of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, explain how increasing human pressure in wildlife habitats leads to the emergence of new animal-to-human transmitted diseases like COVID-19. 

May 19, 2020

Meeting the Demand for Supply Chain Expertise

As COVID-19 creates a surge in demand for certain products, there's also a demand for experts to help us understand the global supply chain. Robert Handfield, executive director of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative and the Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at NC State University, shares his knowledge across industries and trains the next generation of supply chain experts. 

Apr 21, 2020

Custom Clotting Particles Could Help Heal Chronic Wounds

New technology could transform the way doctors treat chronic wounds, which affect more than 6 million people in the U.S. each year. Chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers or deep-tissue burns, heal slowly or not at all and are thus prone to infection -- which can lead to severe consequences. Ashley Brown, the leader of NC State’s Advanced Wound Healing Lab, has teamed up with Fran Ligler, the Lampe Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at NC State, on the patent-pending technology to address this challenge. 

Apr 21, 2020

What We Know – And Don’t – About Food Safety and COVID-19

As the world grapples with COVID-19, people have a lot of questions about how to best protect themselves. Many of those questions have to do with food. NC State experts Lee-Ann Jaykus, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, food science, and Ben Chapman, professor and food safety Extension specialist, address common questions. 

Apr 7, 2020

A Necessary Filter: Nonwovens Institute Steps Up to Combat COVID-19

Behnam Pourdeyhimi, executive director of the Nonwovens Institute, Wilson College of Textiles associate dean for industry research and extension and William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor, explains how the institute is ramping up two research and training pilot production lines to create mask filters — and masks for health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak. 

Apr 7, 2020

Artificial Intelligence: A Game Changer for the Chemical Manufacturing Industry

Chemicals can be found in everyday products from cars and medicines to toys and clothes, but their production can have adverse effects on the environment, including the release of greenhouse gases. The chemical manufacturing industry increasingly is using artificial intelligence to help reduce its environmental footprint. A study being led by Yuan Yao, an assistant professor of sustainability science and engineering in the Department of Forest Biomaterials at NC State’s College of Natural Resources, may help. The research is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Mar 31, 2020

Interconnected Nature of Supply Chains Makes Disruptions Worse But Fixable

When supply of and demand for products and services alter greatly — as has been the case during the COVID-19 outbreak — the management of supply chains is significantly impacted. Sebastian Heese, interim business management department head and Owens Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management, explains the current disruption and what recovery may look like. 

Mar 31, 2020

Q&A: Swann Discusses Healthcare Impacts from COVID-19

Julie Swann, A. Doug Allison Professor in the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, works in the area of mathematical modeling to enable supply chain systems and health care to become more efficient, effective or equitable. This Q&A addresses the impacts that the COVID-19 outbreak is having on the U.S. healthcare system.