PRI Celebrates David Lowry’s Appointment as MSU Subcontract Lead of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
The Plant Resilience Institute (PRI) congratulates Dr. David Lowry on his appointment as Michigan State University Subcontract Lead of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s leading Bioenergy Research Centers dedicated to developing sustainable biofuels and bioproducts.
As he assumes this important new leadership role, Dr. Lowry has stepped down from his position as PRI Associate Director while continuing as a PRI faculty member and professor in the Department of Plant Biology.
“Helping Sue build PRI into what it is today has been a highlight of my career, and I’m looking forward to bringing what I learned as PRI Associate Director to my new leadership position at the GLBRC,” Dr. Lowry said.
Dr. Lowry has played a pivotal role in advancing the institute’s mission and strengthening its research community. Since becoming PRI Associate Director in 2023, he provided leadership across institute administration, faculty engagement, trainee development, and strategic planning. He chaired PRI’s seed grant and equipment committees, contributed to faculty recruitment efforts, and helped modernize institute governance and operations. Widely recognized for his dedication to mentorship and trainee development, Dr. Lowry helped expand the PRI Seed Grant Program into a trainee-led research initiative that has fostered transdisciplinary, interdepartmental collaborations.
“David has been an exceptional leader, scientist, and mentor for PRI,” PRI Director Dr. Seung Yon (Sue) Rhee said. “His collaborative leadership style, commitment to trainees, and internationally recognized research program have had a profound impact on our institute. We are thrilled to see him assume this important new position at GLBRC and look forward to continuing to work with him as a PRI faculty member.”
Dr. Lowry has built an innovative research program in the MSU Department of Plant Biology focused on plant adaptation and resilience. His work integrates evolutionary biology, genomics, functional genetics, and physiology to better understand how plants adapt to environmental stress and changing climates. His longstanding leadership within GLBRC includes coordinating major collaborative initiatives focused on bioenergy crop productivity and microbiomes.
“I'm excited to see David take on this new leadership role at GLBRC, and he is well positioned to represent MSU plant science in this multi-institutional partnership,” MSU Department of Plant Biology Chair Dr. Andrea Case said. “In addition to maintaining his thriving research program in plant biology, he has gained significant leadership experience within MSU in support of PRI and the Plant Science Excellence initiative, as well as beyond MSU in roles with professional academic societies and the broader scientific community. I look forward to working with him to advance and enhance our core missions and increase collaboration and engagement across the plant sciences.”
PRI extends its sincere gratitude to Dr. Lowry for his outstanding leadership and service as associate director and congratulates him on this exciting next chapter as the MSU subcontract lead of the GLBRC.
