Board Leadership - Non-Legislative Trustees

Jim Cook

Professor Emeritus, Washington State University

R. James Cook is one of Washington State University's most honored research scientists, recognizing his work in plant pathology and biotechnology.  During his 40-year career at WSU, he served as a research plant pathologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for 33 years starting in 1965; held the R. J. Cook Endowed Chair in Wheat Research on the WSU faculty for 5 years, a position endowed with a $1.5-million gift to WSU from the Washington Wheat Commission to strengthen research and graduate education in the plant, soil, and microbiological sciences at WSU; and then assumed duties of interim dean of the WSU College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Science for 2 years before retiring in late 2005.  During this time, he served 2.5 years starting in mid 1993 as Chief Scientists for the USDA National Research Initiative Competitive Grants program.  Also in1993, he was named to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, one the highest awards for an American scientist, received the USDA Distinguished Service Award, and was made an honorary member of the British Society for Plant Pathology. The American Phytopathological Society has honored him with each of the Society’s three highest awards. He was elected to the ARS Science Hall of Fame in 1997 and received the Wolf Prize in Agriculture in 2011, awarded in Israel and one of the highest awards in the agricultural sciences internationally.  Starting in 2005, he helped found the Washington State Academy of Sciences and served as its second president in 2010/11.  Professor Cook is also active in educating the public about biotechnology, including genetically modified plants used for food crops. He completed his B.S. and M.S. degrees at North Dakota State University in 1958 and 1961, his Ph.D. at the University of California-Berkeley in 1964, and held a NATO postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Adelaide in Australia in 1964/65 before landing in Pullman.

Cook one of Ten World-Renowned Scientists to Receive 2011 Wolf Prize
"Retired WSU professor wins Wolf Prize in agriculture" Seattle Times, February 15, 2011