Dr. Grant T. Kirker is a Research Forest Products Technologist at the Forest Products Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He obtained, from Mississippi State University, his Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Pest Management in 2001, his master’s degree in Entomology in 2004, and his Ph.D. in Forest Products in 2008. His research mainly focuses on preservative-treated wood, which predominates the current market, but he is also interested in mechanisms of naturally durable wood species (such as black locust and eastern red cedar) and alternative technologies for wood protection, such as thermal and chemical modifications. In addition to the biotic agents of wood deterioration, he also studies the effects of salt on wood and is focused on finding preventative measures to prevent salt damage. He is the Chair of Committee P1 General Protectants Committee, American Wood Protection Association, a Voting Member of the ASTM International, and a member of the Forest Products Society (FPS), the Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) and the International Research Group on Wood Protection.