Darrell Donahue has been named chair of the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering in the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Engineering. His appointment was effective July 1.
Donahue replaces Ajit Srivastava, who stepped down from the role of chairperson and will rejoin the faculty in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. Before that, he was professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Maine for 18 years.
Donahue most recently served as vice president of operations and research director at Maine Maritime Academy, where he also served as founding research director in the Center for Applied Research and Education.
“We are excited to welcome Darrell to MSU and to the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering,” said CANR Dean Fred Poston. “He joins a group of faculty members whose work is changing the world in the areas of food, energy and the environment. We expect he will do the same.”
“We welcome Darrell to the College of Engineering family," said Leo Kempel, dean of the College of Engineering. "We look forward to his leadership of this important enterprise that excels in all aspects of the mission of MSU.”
Over the past 20 years, Donahue has served as a consultant for several Fortune 500 companies for his expertise in economic modeling, team development and operational skills.
Donahue’s research focus is on process engineering systems for food and agriculture. Over the past dozen years, he has added the study of risk assessment modeling to that work.
“MSU feels like home,” Donahue said. “I grew up with an agricultural background in North Carolina and worked in food and forestry-related engineering research while in Maine. Coming to MSU allows me to continue in that vein, becoming a leader for food, water and environment issues in Michigan and throughout the world.”
While at the University of Maine, Donahue also spent a year as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the Department of Homeland Security. He is a certified quality engineer.