Dr. Kelly Tiller, an agricultural economist with the University of Tennessee, will serve as director of external operations for bioenergy initiatives for the UT Institute of Agriculture. Download this image

(KNOXVILLE , Tenn. ) – The state’s funding of the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative, which became official on July 1, has prompted
the University of Tennessee to appoint two researchers to direct the $48.9 million endeavor.

Dr. Kelly Tiller, the agricultural economist who helped to author the Initiative’s business model, and Dr. Tim Rials, a polymer chemist who directs the Tennessee Forest Products Center, will each oversee part of the biofuels initiative and associated Institute of Agriculture bioenergy efforts.

Tiller will serve as director of external operations. Her duties will include general oversight of the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative and managing development of the pilot biorefinery as well as managing relationships with external partners interested in collaborative projects associated with the plant or working to develop a bioenergy industry in the state.

Rials will serve as director of research for bioenergy initiatives. He will oversee activities associated with refining the biomass conversion process and the development of co-products – valuable commercial products expected to result as part of the biomass-to-ethanol conversion process. Rials will also continue in his role as director of the federally funded Sun Grant Southeastern Regional Center, which coordinates some $7 million in federal research allocations for alternative energy research throughout the region.

Dr. Tim Rials, a polymer chemist with the University of Tennessee, will serve as director of research for bioenergy initiatives for the UT Institute of Agriculture. Download this image

Both Tiller and Rials will retain their faculty appointments through
the UT Agricultural Experiment Station.

"The immensity of this undertaking has prompted us to take this
action,” said Dr. Joseph DiPietro, UT Vice President for Agriculture.
“Drs. Tiller and Rials are absolutely the two most qualified individuals to oversee this project and to ensure its success.”

DiPietro reiterated his gratitude to state leaders for investing in the research needed to position Tennessee as a leader in emerging biofuels industries. "We are extremely grateful for the confidence that our elected officials have shown us by supporting the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative," he said. "Their forethought will allow the Institute of Agriculture to help the state become a hub for bioenergy research and development."

Dr. Tom Klindt, interim dean of the UT Agricultural Experiment Station, emphasized that the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative, the ORNL-UT led bioenergy center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and other research grants represent a combined investment approaching $200 million. “This level of investment in agricultural research will benefit rural economies and consumers all over the state and region,” he said.

Klindt said the ultimate goal of the bioenergy research is an affordable alternative fuel for consumers in the form of cellulosic ethanol as well as a sustainable bioeconomy.

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Contact: Patricia McDaniels, UTIA Marketing and Communications, (865) 974-7141, pclark@utk.edu