Revolutionary Researcher to Retire

Steve Lommel is many things: A William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of plant virology. A champion of the life sciences. An architect of impactful interdisciplinary programs. In his nearly 40 years with NC State University, the last 12 as associate dean for research in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and director of the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service (NCARS), Lommel’s leadership and vision has helped the university strengthen and extend vital research. 

This month, Lommel announced he will retire in July 2025. 

“CALS will miss Steve’s leadership and unflinching dedication to furthering research efforts of the college,” says Garey Fox, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “Steve ensured that CALS thrives as a research and development hub for the state’s life sciences and biotech industries. We will build on the foundation he established during his tenure and ensure that our research continues to drive economic prosperity in North Carolina.”

In 1988, Lommel joined what was then the Department of Plant Pathology. He taught courses on biotechnology and DNA sequencing and ran an accomplished research program in which he was part of the team that first sequenced the tobacco genome. At one point, he held the largest grant at the university and discovered ways of using viruses to deliver cancer therapies. Yet Lommel felt drawn to a leadership role where he could  expand the college’s research footprint more than he could do as one faculty member.

As the assistant director of NCARS in 1992, Lommel was brought in to represent the life sciences disciplines of the college at the time. From 2001 to 2013, Lommel moved up to assistant and associate vice chancellor for research at the university level, starting the Proposal Development Unit, establishing core facilities and prioritizing faculty retention.

“Working in the vice chancellor’s office gave me a broader view of the resources and priorities of the university and showed me how much we could accomplish when we work with other colleges. It really cemented my belief in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration,” Lommel says.

In 2013, Lommel became the CALS research station director and associate dean for research. He came in with the revolutionary idea for a state-of-the-art building to support interdisciplinary plant science. That idea would grow to become the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI), which Lommel says is the crowning achievement of his career.

In addition to the N.C. PSI, Lommel has helped build out the Genome Sciences Lab core facility, the Biological Research Facility, the proteomics facility and the electron microscope facility. He even helped launch the Kannapolis campus while overseeing the Plants for Human Health Institute.

Though a researcher at heart, Lommel says he will miss building things — big interdisciplinary things like the N.C. PSI, facilities, grant training programs and other assets that will have a lasting impact on the university’s success far beyond his tenure.

In retirement, Lommel will complete his role as chair of AgInnovation for the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities and invest more time in his duties on various boards. He looks forward to traveling, playing golf and spending more time at his cabin in the mountains with his wife and dog.

Dean Garey Fox is committed to a smooth transition as Lommel prepares for retirement. A national search for a new associate dean of research and director of NCARS will begin this spring.