MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A Mississippi State University alumnus and forest products faculty member is the new head of the university’s forest products department.

Rubin Shmulsky, who assumed his new duties April 1, will lead the largest state-funded laboratory of its kind in the United States. His appointment was approved during the March meeting of the state Board of Trustees for the Institutions of Higher Learning.

Established in 1964, the forest products department is part of MSU’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center and serves an industry that contributes more than $14 billion annually to Mississippi.

“Dr. Shmulsky has a wealth of academic experience,” said George Hopper, dean of the College of Forest Resources and research center director. “His diverse research and devotion to students will be an asset to the university and to Mississippi’s forest products industry.”

Shmulsky, whose research interests include the drying and mechanics of wood and wood products, has served the department as interim head since May 1. He previously was employed as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. 

Shmulsky holds a bachelor’s degree in building materials and wood technology from the University of Massachusetts and master’s and doctoral degrees from Mississippi State.