Troy Runge, currently research director at Kimberly-Clark Corporation, has been named director of the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative (WBI), a public-private partnership in bioenergy research, outreach, training and economic development based in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Troy Runge

 Runge’s position is supported by a gift to WBI from the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation.

As WBI director, Runge will work with the group’s steering committee, including representatives from industry, state and federal agencies and the university, to foster synergies between public and private bioenergy efforts.

“Bioenergy offers the potential for new jobs in life sciences, manufacturing, technology, forestry and agriculture,” says Molly Jahn, CALS dean.

“Wisconsin’s leadership in this field was recognized last year when the Department of Energy picked UW-Madison as the site o the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center—one of the largest research grants in the history of our campus. With Troy’s leadership, WBI will be the catalyst, ensuring that Wisconsin’s public and private sectors put forward the very best ideas in this field and remain front-and-center as the federal government looks for new opportunities to invest in energy technology.”

Read the full news release