Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has appointed Praveen V. Vadlani, PhD, MBA, as executive director of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC), effective Jan. 7. Vadlani will also serve as a tenured professor in SIUE’s Department of Chemistry.
Vadlani’s work focuses on biofuels, biochemicals, biomaterials, and scalable fermentation processes aimed at improving yield, productivity, and commercial viability. His leadership aligns with NCERC’s mission to support the biofuels and bioproducts industry through research, innovation, and commercialization.
“It’s a great honor to serve as the executive director at NCERC, SIUE,” Vadlani said. “I am excited to be part of NCERC’s vision to enable the dawn of the new sustainable bioeconomy.”
Before joining SIUE, Vadlani held research and faculty roles at Kansas State University, concentrating on grain science, renewable energy, and bioprocessing. His earlier experience includes positions at Texas A&M University and the University of Malaysia.
Christopher Slaten, PhD, Dean and Associate Provost of SIUE’s Graduate School, noted Vadlani’s focus on integrated bioprocessing, technology-enabled manufacturing, and AI-driven process control as key to advancing NCERC’s role as an innovation engine for industry partners.
Vadlani has authored over 100 scholarly publications and has extensive experience in ethanol systems, fermentation, and co-product optimization.
