Vikram Yadama, assistant research professor and extension specialist in Washington State University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will be leading outreach efforts for the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance. In particular, he will be leading efforts to facilitate information exchange with communities and to provide a conduit for the transfer of the science and technology of biofuels and important co-products.

Yadama’s educational, research and extension background spans the fields of forestry and forest management, forest products and wood science, and structural engineering. He has worked extensively in industry outreach and extension, working with industries and local communities to transfer technologies for community and economic development. Currently, besides conducting research, he provides outreach to industries and organization in the State of Washington and internationally. He also has experience as a project leader in extension and applied research gained at Mississippi State University.

Areas of interest are wood-based composite processing and product development and improvement, structure and property modeling, and material properties evaluation. Dr. Yadama’s activities include: (1) Developing and teaching courses for Civil Engineering and Forest Products students at Washington State University; (2) Co-chairing of International Wood Composites Symposium and other industry-oriented workshops and conferences for dissemination of advancements and innovations in process and product development of wood composite materials and upholstered furniture; and (3) Development of specialty wood-strand composites, such as light- weight and high strength and stiffness laminates, using small-diameter timber.

He has been with WSU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 1998. He holds a Ph.D. in structures and civil engineering from WSU.