GARY DIRKS JOINS ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

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GARY DIRKS JOINS ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY TO LEAD LIGHTWORKS RESEARCH INITIATIVE

TEMPE, Ariz. “ Arizona State University has selected Gary Dirks as director of LightWorks, a new initiative to position ASU as a leader in solar-based energy and other light-inspired research. Dirks is the former president of BP Asia-Pacific and BP China.

LightWorks will capitalize on ASU™s unique strengths in renewable energy fields including artificial photosynthesis, biofuels and next-generation photovoltaics. LightWorks will eventually broaden to include other light-based projects, such as lasers for biomedical applications and energy efficient lighting.

Gary Dirks will help position Arizona nationally and globally as a leader in renewable energy and light-based research, said ASU President Michael Crow. Gary™s broad range of experience will help us meet President Obama™s challenge to lead a green revolution and develop clean sources of energy.

Dirks received a Ph.D. in chemistry from ASU in 1980. He was the first doctoral student to work with Devens Gust, Thomas Moore and Ana Moore in ASU™s Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis (now the Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis).

Dirks went on to work in the energy industry as a researcher, strategic planner and ultimately president of BP China and BP Asia-Pacific. In China, Dirks grew BP from an operation with fewer than 30 employees and no revenue to more than 1,300 employees and revenues of about $4 billion in 2008.

What does that mean for ASU? It means we have somebody who respects and understands the academic enterprise, but also somebody who is very practically grounded in what works in the energy world. We have somebody who knows the energy environment not just nationally, but globally, said R. F. Rick Shangraw, ASU Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs.

I feel privileged to have been selected, said Dirks. As I explored the opportunity to direct LightWorks, I was struck by the depth and breadth of capability at ASU to apply light to big social challenges. When you combine the capability that ASU has, the social need and the very strong support from President Crow and his team, it makes a very attractive opportunity for my next career.

Dirks will provide the enhanced strategic focus needed to pursue major funding opportunities, including those in the competitive arena of federal stimulus grants. He will also facilitate collaborations with other universities, industry and government agencies.
He said his initial focus is to communicate ASU™s strengths and capabilities through the vehicle of LightWorks and to connect ASU with major sponsors and partners.

Dirks already is fully engaged. I am working on two large energy projects now, he said.
The first is a Department of Energy proposal to identify pathways to commercial production of liquid fuels from algae. We have more than 20 partners from across the country, and ASU is leading. The second project is in anticipation of Congressional support for the Department of Energy Hubs program, he said.

It is incredibly important to bring resources into Arizona that will fund jobs and create an environment for growing new companies, said Shangraw.

However, Shangraw added that Dirks will not neglect the importance of basic research.
We do not have all the answers, particularly in terms of renewable energy. We can™t simply take our existing science and convert it magically into commercial products. We still have a lot of basic research to do in this area to be successful in the long run, he said.

In addition to directing LightWorks, Dirks has been appointed the Julie Wrigley Chair of Sustainable Practices and a professor of practice in the School of Sustainability. He is also a member of the Global Institute of Sustainability board of trustees.

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About LightWorks
LightWorks is an ASU initiative that builds on the depth and breadth of research advanced by natural or human-made light. The initiative is a multidisciplinary effort designed to provide solutions to societal challenges, such as providing clean, renewable energy.
LightWorks provides a framework for fostering collaboration, pursuing novel approaches and forming strong partnerships with industry, government agencies and other universities.

About Arizona State University
At once the youngest and the largest of the roughly 150 public and private research-grade universities in the nation, Arizona State University enrolls more than 69,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students on four campuses of equally high aspiration configured across metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, a region negotiating societal and environmental challenges that anticipate coming trends worldwide. For the last seven years, ASU has served as America™s largest effort at institutional transformation in higher education, building a solution-focused institution that combines the highest level of academic excellence, inclusiveness to a broad demographic and maximum societal impact. Although the university is first and foremost committed to educating the students of Arizona, it is equally a discovery organization, focused on contributing to regional economic development through enhanced research and academic programs, including major interdisciplinary research initiatives focused on innovative solutions to the world™s greatest challenges. Through its educational and discovery missions, Arizona State University is producing the nation™s newest national assets.

Source: Arizona State University

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