The search for the new director of the Leopold Center of Sustainable Agriculture continues on Thursday when Thanos Papanicolaou gives his seminar in room 1951 in the Food Sciences Building.

Papanicolaou holds an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Aristotle University in Greece and both a Master of Science and Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from Virginia Tech. This past April, he was awarded with the Distinguished Iowa Scientist Award from the Iowa Academy of Science.

Papanicolaou served in several academic and research positions at Washington State University until 2003 when he took a job as a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iowa. He also is a Donald E. Bently Faculty Fellow of Engineering and research engineer with the Iowa Institute of Hydroscience and Engineering.

Besides teaching, Papanicolaou also has done extensive research on ways to lessen the impact of social erosion and nutrient transport on water quality. He has received a competitive grant from the Leopold Center for research on multifunctional agriculture and rural communities.

Papanicolaou is the second of three finalists hoping to fill the two-year vacant director position at the Leopold Center. Abdullah Jaradat spoke earlier this week, and Mark Rasmussen will complete the seminars Dec. 5. Each of the seminars will be recorded and available for viewing on the Leopold Center website, http://www.leopold.iastate.edu.