Robert Brown is Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University (ISU). He also holds courtesy academic appointments in the Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering. Dr. Brown is the Director of the Bioeconomy Institute (http://www.biorenew.iastate.edu/), which coordinates research, education, and extension in bioenergy and biobased products at ISU. He also directs the Center for Sustainable Environmental Research (http://www.cset.iastate.edu/), which investigates the thermochemical conversion of biomass into energy, fuels, and chemicals.