Faculty named leaders, new members of Washington State Academy of Sciences

WSU cougar logo.

The Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS) has named Washington State University faculty to hold the positions of incoming board president and three seats on the board. It also announced seven WSU faculty as new members of its 2021 class.

John Roll, professor and vice dean for research in the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, is the president-elect of the WSAS Board of Directors.

“It is an honor to be elected president,” said Roll, who is also the associate vice president for strategic research initiatives at WSU Health Sciences. “Many outstanding scientists have preceded me in this role, and I will strive with the exceptional team at WSAS to continue their work. I relish the opportunity to contribute to a public conversation about the role of science in today’s world and enhance its role in our state. I will work to provide policymakers with the best available science the academy can muster to aid them in making decisions that maximize both short- and long-term benefit.”

Man in glasses and tan suit coat before the Spokane skyline
John Roll

Roll will be joined by three new board members from WSU: Celestina Barbosa-Leiker, vice chancellor for research, WSU Health Sciences; Douglas Call, Regents Professor, Paul G. Allen School for Global Health; and John Stark, director of the Washington Stormwater Center and professor of entomology.

The WSAS Board is responsible for the governance of the academy in support of its mission, “science in the service of Washington state.” The elected officers and board members will begin their terms at the conclusion of the annual members’ meeting on September 16, 2021.

In addition, seven WSU faculty will join WSAS as new members:


Glen Duncan

Professor and chair, Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology

For meritorious work in the fields of exercise and nutrition science, with a focus on epidemiology and the built environment.


Closeup of Brian French sitting on a concrete bench.

Brian French

Berry Family Distinguished Professor in Educational Psychology

For pioneering work in the development and application of psychometric methods for validation of test scores and the use of simulation to strengthen statistical models for test development.


woman with long red hair and a lab coat

Rita Fuchs Lokensgard

Professor and director, Alcohol Drug Abuse Research Program

For elucidating the neuroanatomical, pharmacological, and cellular mechanism of drug-seeking behavior and drug memory reconsolidation in non-human animals. For identifying areas of the amygdala associated with drug-related memories and developing methods for determining how memory reconsolidation is related to drug relapse and for leading state-wide efforts to promote addiction research.


Scot Hulbert

Associate dean and director, Agricultural Research Center

For discoveries revealing the molecular mechanisms by which pathogens defeat plant defense responses to infection, facilitating development of durable resistance to historically devastating foliar diseases of wheat and rice; and for identification and genetic mapping one of the first known traits for resistance in wheat to root disease.


Kathryn Meier

Professor and associate dean for faculty and student development

For leadership in cancer research. For advancing STEM education as associate dean at WSU and major international research impact as editor-in-chief of Molecular Pharmacology, and as a member of advisory boards of multiple scientific societies, including the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the American Physiological Society, and the American Association for Cancer Research.


Closeup of John Peters

John Peters

Professor and director, Institute of Biological Chemistry

For generating widely acclaimed fundamental research that has immediate impacts on biotechnological developments ranging from production of biofuels to greener agricultural practices. For a history of deep strategic thinking and a track record for engaging policy makers and the public to advance education and sustainable economic development in Washington State.


Closeup of Noel Schulz

Noel Schulz

Edmund O. Schweitzer III Chair in Power Apparatus and Systems, interim director of PNNL/WSU Advanced Grid Institute

For contributions to advancing modeling and simulation methods and tools for electric power distribution systems including shipboard power systems, renewable energy, storage, microgrids, and artificial intelligence applications, and leadership for advancing recruitment, retention, and advocacy for women in STEM worldwide.

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