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Wen became the director of the Center for Crops Utilization Research (CCUR) in January 2020. From 2005 to 2010, he was an assistant professor at Virginia Tech in Biological System Engineering. In 2010, Wen joined the Iowa State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition as an associate professor and was promoted to full professor in 2016. Wen served CCUR interim director for 15 months before was appointed as the CCUR director. Wen’s research has focused on bioprocessing engineering, green and sustainable food, fuel and biomaterials processing technologies. He has secured over $8 million dollars in research funding. These research results have led to a number of technology innovations and patents. As Center Director his priority is to enhance the Center visibility and leverage staff expertise and services available for industry and faculty aiding in conducting research and outreach programming in food, feed, and biorenewables. Wen is co-founder of Gross-Wen Technologies Inc. (www.algae.com), an Iowa-based company that uses algae to mitigate water pollution while delivering high-value products, including biofuels, food, feed and fertilizer.