Research Interests:

Dr. Wilkie’s specialty is environmental biotechnology, with particular emphasis on anaerobic processes, the microbial and environmental factors influencing biodegradation, and the practical application of anaerobic digestion technology for waste treatment, odor control and renewable energy production from biomass and bio-organic residues.

Dr. Wilkie is a member of the Editorial Board of Biomass and Bioenergy. She is an advisory member of the Environmental Committee, National Pork Board; a member of the Public Health and Worker Safety Advisory Group, National Pork Board; and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Dairy Environmental Task Force, National Milk Producers Federation. She also serves on the National Dairy Environmental Stewardship Council and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel for Dairy Farmers, Inc., Florida.

Dr. Wilkie’s current research focuses on livestock waste management technology for odor control, energy production, nutrient recovery and water quality improvement. Her technical publications in these areas number 150. She is the inventor of US Patent No. 6,811,701, Fixed-Film Anaerobic Digestion of Flushed Manure, assigned to the University of Florida.

Dr. Wilkie has developed a state-of-the-art Anaerobic Digestion Research and Demonstration Facility at the University of Florida Dairy Research Unit. The facility includes an on-site laboratory, a pilot plant consisting of four 90-gallon digester units for research and development, and a full-scale (100,000 gal.) fixed-film digester treating flushed dairy manure from the dairy operation. Digester biogas is used directly on site to provide hot water for the milking parlor. The digester is an integral component of the overall waste management system for the 500-milking cow dairy and serves as a model for the Florida and national livestock industries.