Associate Professor Craig Gundersen has been selected as the Director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) at the University of Illinois in Urbana – Champaign.

Gundersen is an accomplished scholar, educator, author, and one of the nation’s foremost experts in the areas of food insecurity research and the evaluation of food assistance programs. He is Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics. At Illinois, he is also a Member of the Division of Nutritional Sciences, a Faculty Affiliate of the Institute for Government and Public Affairs, and an Affiliate of the Family Resiliency Center. In addition, he is a member of the Technical Advisory Group for Feeding America. He received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Riverside and a B.A. in economics from the University of Notre Dame. Gundersen’s research has appeared in several top journals.

As Executive Director, Gundersen will provide leadership and strategic direction regarding soybean research, outreach, and education efforts from production through consumption.