Tuskan named DOE Office of Science Distinguished Scientist Fellow

Gerald A. Tuskan, a Corporate Fellow and director of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at ORNL, has been selected as a DOE Office of Science Distinguished Scientist Fellow. Credit: Carlos Jones, ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy

Gerald A. Tuskan, a Corporate Fellow and director of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, or CBI, at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been selected as a DOE Distinguished Scientist Fellow, one of the highest honors bestowed by the agency's Office of Science for outstanding scientific leadership and research community engagement.

Tuskan was honored by the DOE Office of Science for "foundational scientific advances in the development of resilient bioenergy feedstock crops; for excellence in leading large, multi-institutional science teams toward a robust, sustainable bioeconomy; and for supporting the next generation of diverse scientists." The fellowship also recognizes sustained scientific excellence and achievement, relevance to programmatic goals of the Office of Science; service to the research community; mentoring of early career scientists and/or engineers; and commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.

"Jerry is a respected thought leader, collaborator and mentor. He has made foundational contributions to plant genetics and biology and demonstrates exceptional leadership in his role with CBI. I am very pleased to see his scientific and professional impact recognized by this honor," said ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer.

Tuskan has served as director and CEO of CBI at ORNL since 2017. CBI is one of four Bioenergy Research Centers across the nation supported by the DOE Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research Program. In that role, Jerry leads more than 250 scientists from 11 universities, three DOE national labs, two industry partners and an international science institute in the development of a bioenergy supply chain for sustainable aviation fuels. He was a co-principal investigator for the DOE BioEnergy Science Center at ORNL from 2007 to 2017, and co-led the Laboratory Sequencing Program at the DOE Joint Genome Institute from 2006 to 2017.

"I did not achieve this honor alone," Tuskan said. "I have been challenged, educated and sustained by the support of many colleagues along the way."

The honor provides each Fellow $1 million over three years to support activities that develop, sustain and promote scientific and academic excellence in Office of Science research through collaborations between academic institutions and DOE's national laboratories. Tuskan said he envisions the fellowship award supporting research into annually harvested eucalyptus as a source of terpenes for the production of sustainable aviation fuels in the southeastern United States.

Jerry Tuskan in the Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory at ORNL, which accelerates genes-to-phenotypes research using one of the most sophisticated, high-throughput imaging systems in the world. Credit: Carlos Jones, ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy

"Jerry is a creative, impactful leader who is successfully stewarding a large team of scientists from multiple institutions and disciplines as head of CBI. He has a remarkable ability to help shape and oversee science-to-solution advances that are critical to our mission of achieving a sustainable future in which our nation is prosperous and secure," said Paul Langan, director of Biological and Environmental Systems Science at ORNL.

Tuskan is an internationally recognized expert in plant biology and genomics who led a large, multi-institutional team of scientists in sequencing the first-ever tree genome, a fast-growing poplar tree considered a primary woody energy crop for next-generation biofuel - an achievement that was featured on the cover of Science. He also developed the first woody plant genome-wide association population. His achievements have enabled gene-to-phenotype discoveries for hardy crops requiring less water and fertilizer, for beneficial plant-microbe interactions, and increased natural carbon storage.

He has authored more than 310 peer-reviewed publications, with more than 23,500 citations and an h-index of 70, according to Clarivate's Web of Science. He holds 16 patents and has been recognized as a Battelle Distinguished Inventor, among other honors. Tuskan holds a doctorate in genetics from Texas A&M University, a master's degree in forest genetics from Mississippi State University, and a bachelor's degree in forest management from Northern Arizona University.

Tuskan has mentored dozens of postdoctoral research associates throughout his career and co-manages the CBI Early Career Development Program, in which young scientists receive a tailored research experience while also gaining leadership skills. Tuskan also oversees an award-winning community outreach program at CBI that has educated hundreds of thousands of students and families about bioenergy, climate mitigation pathways, and clean energy workforce opportunities.

As part of the Distinguished Scientist Fellow program, Tuskan will participate in a lecture series of the 2024 Fellows. His talk is scheduled for November 19, 2024, from 1:30 to 3 pm Eastern, and will be broadcast live. Participants may register to attend virtually.

For more information about the program, please visit the Distinguished Scientist Fellows website.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.