Designing Soybeans for the 21st Century

Richard F. Wilson received graduate degrees at the University of Illinois with emphasis on analytical and lipid biochemistry and was employed by the USDA ARS for 32 years. He served as Research Leader for the ARS Soybean & Nitrogen Fixation Research Unit at Raleigh NC from 1980 to 2002. He also served as an adjunct Professor of Crop Science at North Carolina State University during that period. His research on the biochemical and genetic regulation of seed composition in soybean is documented by over 225 peer reviewed publications, 11 books, over 125 invited presentations at international or domestic meetings, and 23 awards for research excellence including the Outstanding Achievement Award (United Soybean Board, 2007) and Secretary’s Honor Award (USDA, 2006). In 2002, Dr. Wilson moved to Washington, DC to become the USDA ARS National Program Leader of oilseed programs for genetics, molecular biology and bioenergy research. In that capacity, he developed strategic plans that were relevant to industry needs, directed/redirected projects to implement high-quality research programs, and conducted project evaluations plus assessments of overall program performance for over 370 ARS projects. Dr. Wilson also coordinated and maintained research accountability for National Research Initiatives that addressed specific targets of the oilseeds research program. Examples include genomic research that revealed genomic sequence of soybean and bioinformatic efforts that led to the creation of the Legume Information System. Dr. Wilson retired from the USDA in 2007. He now is a consultant based in Raleigh, NC.