EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has appointed Praveen V. Vadlani, PhD, MBA, as executive director of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC), effective Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Vadlani will also hold a tenured faculty appointment as a professor in SIUE’s Department of Chemistry.
Vadlani’s work spans biofuels, biochemicals, biomaterials, fermentation systems and scalable process development, with a focus on improving yield, productivity and commercial viability.
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“It’s a great honor to serve as the executive director at NCERC, SIUE,” said Vadlani. “NCERC is a premier nationally recognized research center catering to the needs of the biofuels, biochemicals and bioproducts industry, and I am delighted to be involved in the research, innovation and commercialization activities. I am also excited to be part of NCERC’s vision to enable the dawn of the new sustainable bioeconomy.”
Prior to joining SIUE, Vadlani held research and faculty appointments at Kansas State University, with work focused on grain science, renewable energy and bioprocessing systems. His earlier experience includes serving as a research scientist in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University and as a research fellow at the University of Malaysia’s Institute for Post-Graduate Studies and Research.
Christopher Slaten, PhD, Dean and Associate Provost of the Graduate School and Office of Research and Creative Activities, said Vadlani’s leadership aligns with NCERC’s evolving role as an innovation engine for industry partners.
“Dr. Vadlani’s stated research and innovation direction is notably aligned with the evolution of the ethanol enterprise, especially the push toward integrated bioprocessing, technology-enabled manufacturing and diversification toward higher-value bioproducts,” said Slaten. “His agenda emphasizes development of cost-effective manufacturing equipment, bioreactor engineering and automation and AI-enabled process control capabilities that support NCERC’s role as an innovation engine for industry partners, and of course continuing the work of corn-to-ethanol specifically.”
Vadlani’s background includes direct experience with ethanol systems and co-product optimization, as well as industry-scale fermentation and recovery operations. He has authored more than 100 scholarly publications and has served in professional and federal review roles related to biofuels and bioproducts research.
Learn more about NCERC at siue.edu/ncerc.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high-quality education that powerfully transforms the lives of all individuals who seek something greater. A premier metropolitan university, SIUE is creating social and economic mobility for individuals while also powering the workforce of the future. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Home to a diverse student body, SIUE is situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis.
