Microbiologist Mark Rasmussen has been named the director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, an ISU news release announced. 

Rasmussen currently serves as the supervisory microbiologist and director of the Division of Animal and Food Microbiology at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine in Laurel, Md. The news release stated that Rasmussen will take the post of director at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture on June 1. 

According to the news release, Rasmussen helps the FDA with “technical guidance and research support for regulatory decisions on drugs, feed additives and contaminants in animal feeds.” Rasmussen also worked as a scientist and research leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Disease Center in Ames for 18 years. 

The news release states that Rasmussen’s expertise include micriobiology, animal health, food safety, ruminant nutrition, antibiotic resistance and veterinary medicine. 

The Leopold Center, a research and education center designed to develop statewide sustainable agricultural practices, began its search after Jerry DeWitt retired as director in July 2010, after 38 years at Iowa State. The Leopold Center has since been under the leadership of two interim directors, Lois Wright Morton and Mark Honeyman.