Washington State University
07/16/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/16/2026 15:15
Boyd named to WSAS board; nine WSU scientists elected members
A Washington State University researcher has been elected to the board of directors of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, and nine other WSU scientists have been named as members in recognition of outstanding scientific and technical achievement.
The elections were announced Thursday by the WSAS, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that serves as the state's independent science advisory body, providing assessments, expert briefings, and programs to support evidence-informed policy decisions.
Amanda Boyd, executive director of the Office of Native American Programs and professor in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at WSU, was one of four newly elected board members. She was elected to WSAS in 2023 for contributions to our understanding of environmental health risk communication and advancing diversity in clinical trials.
A citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Boyd has extensive experience working with rural and Indigenous communities across the United States and Canada. She currently serves on the Standing Committee for the Advancement of Science Communication at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Jonathan Yoder (photo courtesy of WSU)
"I'm honored to join the WSAS board," Boyd said. "Washington's research and policy conversations are stronger when they include populations that have historically been left out, and I look forward to helping expand that representation and foster interdisciplinary collaboration across the Academy's work."
WSU's Jonathan Yoder, distinguished professor for Sustainable Development in WSU's School of Economic Sciences, will continue serving as the academy's treasurer for a second term.
The 2026 class of new members is composed of 26 scientists and engineers elected by their WSAS peers and four members recently elected to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, or Medicine, who reside or work in Washington state.
New members will be inducted at WSAS's Annual Induction Ceremony and Showcase in Seattle on Oct. 8.
The new members from WSU are:
Haluk Beyenal
Professor
Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Beyenal, who has been with WSU since 2006, was honored for his pioneering work in the electrochemical engineering of microbial systems, including invention of electrochemical bandage and catheter technologies for infection control, and foundational advances in electrochemically active biofilms linking environmental and clinical systems. He has been recognized with several honors, including a National Science Foundation Career Award, the Anjan Bose Outstanding Research Faculty Award, and the Tech Connect Defense Medical Innovation Award.
Lindsey du Toit
Professor and Department Chair
Department of Plant Pathology
WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center
du Toit was recognized for outstanding research contributions to plant pathology and food security, and for leadership at the statewide, national, and global levels, including serving as past president of the American Phytopathological Society and current chair of the WSU Department of Plant Pathology. She joined the faculty at WSU's Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in 2000, where she studies the origins, spread, and management of diseases affecting important vegetable and vegetable seed crops.
Girish Ganjyal
Professor and Extension Food Processing Specialist
School of Food Science
WSU Extension
Ganjyal, who arrived at WSU in 2013, was honored for pioneering work in food processing research and extension, contributing to crop, product, and market diversity, and for providing critical training to food industry professionals to bolster both human health and the regional economic landscape. He established the Food Processing Extension and Research program at WSU, and his research is focused on addressing practical issues in food ingredients and the processing of various crops, including pulses, quinoa, buckwheat, wheat, corn, barley, millets, and others.
Dogan Gursoy
Regents Professor and Taco Bell Distinguished Professor
Carson College of Business
One of WSU's most-cited researchers, Gursoy was honored for globally recognized scholarship in AI-enabled service systems, sustainability, and consumer behavior that has shaped AI adoption, sustainable tourism, and crisis resilience research. He has published 12 books and more than 250 research publications in peer-reviewed journals. In 2025, he received the Outstanding Literary Award for Social Scientists at the International Conference on Hospitality and Tourism Management - among many awards he has received over the course of his career.
Ananth Kalyanaraman
Professor and Director
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
AgAID Institute
Kalyanaraman has made fundamental contributions to the fields of parallel computing and computational biology that have led to genomic discoveries, as well as helping to establish the National Science Foundation-USDA AgAID Institute, advancing AI-driven innovations and tools for Washington state agriculture. At WSU since 2006, he has published more than 100 research papers and received about $43.5 million in funding.
Mark Lange
Professor and Director
College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences
Institute of Biological Chemistry
Lange was honored for elucidating the biochemical pathways underlying the formation of essential oils, resins, and plant natural products, translating these discoveries into commercial cultivars, and bridging the gap between academia and the biotechnology industry. Lange came to WSU as a postdoctoral researcher in 1997 from his native Germany. He worked at the Institute of Biological Chemistry (IBC) for more than three years before leaving for a role in the biotechnology industry. He returned to the IBC as a faculty member after spending four years in private industry.
Kirk Peterson
Professor
Department of Chemistry
Peterson was honored for his innovative work in developing methods for high accuracy computations of the properties of rare or difficult to handle materials. He joined the chemistry department at WSU in 1994 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 2004. He served as department chair from 2016-2022. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Physical Society, and the American Chemistry Society.
Kevin Schneider
Laboratory Fellow and Research Professor (joint appointment)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Washington State University
Schneider was elected for engineering contributions and professional leadership in electric power systems in the state of Washington and nationally. He is a research professor at WSU as part of the PNNL/WSU Advanced Grid Institute, an affiliate associate professor at the University of Washington, a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and a licensed professional engineer in the state of Washington.
Greg Zweigle
Senior Vice President of Technology, Research and Development
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Executive Council
Washington State University
Zweigle, who earned his PhD in electrical engineering and computer science at WSU and is an adjunct professor at the university, was honored for technical innovation associated with the electric power system. He joined SEL in 1998.
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