Our Current Students

Julia Adornetto
juliaa7@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Lahne

Julia completed her master’s degree in spring 2026 and will continue in the Ph.D. program beginning in the fall. Her work focuses on research and development in product development, where she is interested in creating and improving innovative food products.

Valeria Araujo
valeriaa@vt.edu
Degree Sought: M.S. LFS
Advisor: Dr. Stewart

Valeria joined in Fall 2025 with the goal of developing skills to innovate in food processing and fruit chemistry, aiming to improve food quality in ways that benefit local growers.

Angelica Bello Agama
angbellag@vt.edu
Degree Sought: M.S. LFS
Advisor: Dr. Cladis

Angelica seeks to study how food composition and processing affect health and sustainability, with a goal of working in food‑industry reserch and development.  

Molly Caron
mollyecaron@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Cladis

Molly completed her master’s degree in spring 2026 and is continuing in the Ph.D. program. Her research interests focus on functional foods. Looking ahead, Molly’s long term goal is to pursue a career in academia and become a professor.

Sirui Chen
sirui122@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Huang

Sirui joined the department in Fall 2025. She has a passion for sustainability and innovation in food processing. Her research focuses on developing integrated bioprocessing technologies to transform food processing byproducts into valuable products.

Hyan Choi
choi1695@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Y. Cheng

Hyun is a third-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on surface engineering to prevent biofilm formation in both clinical and food industry settings.

Bhaswati Chowdhury 
bhaswatic@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. R. Cheng

Bhaswati is a graduate teaching assistant who started her Ph.D. journey in Fall 2023, and she is expected to complete it in 2026. Her areas of interest include food safety and microbiology, and she aspires to be a prominent researcher in the field of food safety.

Caroline Clark 
eclark22@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: L. Strawn

Caroline joined Food Science and Technology (FST) in Fall 2025 with a research focus in microbial food safety. She hopes to pursue a career in either food safety education or regulatory science to improve food safety practices and protect public health. 

Huida Duan
huilda@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Y. Cheng

Huida Duan joined the FST graduate program in Fall 2024. His research focuses on intelligent food packaging and active food contact surfaces—developing polymer-based sensing films to monitor spoilage and creating enzyme-immobilized surfaces to enhance food processing.

Rakib Ehsan
rakib@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. R. Cheng

Rakib began his doctoral journey at VT in Fall 2023 seeking an interdisciplinary educational experience related to bacterial genetics and genomics in the context of host-bacteria-environment interactions. Rakib’s long term career goal involves conducting research in his own lab.

Leah Ellis
leahe23@vt.edu
Degree Sought: M.S. LFS
Advisor: Dr. Cladis

Leah joined the department in Fall 2025 in order to pursue interests related to food chemistry, particularly related to functional foods, phytochemicals, and the application of food science to clinical nutrition.

Babak Faraji Gougerdchi
babakfaraji@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Y. Cheng

Babak joined FST in Fall 2023 with the goal of gaining skills and experience necessary to eventually become a distinguished faculty member at an university and help educate and promote food safety and quality to the next generation of learners.

Diego Fredes-Garcia
diegofredes@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. R. Cheng

Diego started with the FST graduate program in Fall 2024. Diego has a strong interest in microbial food safety. Diego wishes to explore innovative approaches to molecular detection, genomics, and phenotypic characterization.

Isabel Gutierrez Forbes
isabelg@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Yin

Isabel (Isa) joined the FST graduate program in Fall 2023, and her research interests include food and flavor chemistry, particularly in specialty crops. She hopes to start her apprenticeship to become a flavorist after her graduate studies. 

Emma Hockman
eehockman@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Non-thesis M.S. LFS
Advisor: Dr. Hamilton

Emma entered as a graduate student in Fall 2024 with the primary interest of using microbiological research and safe food manufacturing principles to support producers. Emma would love a career as an advocate for the production of safe and wholesome foods.

Imam Hossain
imam25@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Dong

Imam joined FST in Spring 2026. Imam’s area of focus is food safety and public health, focusing on seafood, pathogens, andantimicrobial resistance. His goal is an academic career advancing microbial genomics.

Shuo Jiang
shuoj99@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisors: Dr. Huang and Dr. Kuhn

Shuo joined the FST graduate community in Spring 2025 with a goal of advancing innovative processing techniques and achieving resource sustainability. Her future aspiration is to be an outstanding food science professor.

Tina Keesee
tkeesee@vt.edu
Degree Sought: MS.LFS
Advisors: Dr. Cladis

Tina serves as the Teaching Lab Facilities Coordinator in FST and began a master's degree in Fall 2026. Her research interests include the analysis of polyphenols in foods and their potential impacts on cultivation practices and human health. She hopes to further her knowledge and continue working in higher education.

Prajita Khanal
khanalp@vt.edu
Degree Sought: MS.LFS
Advisors: Dr. Perry and Dr. Stewart

Prajita joined Food Science and Technology (FST) in Fall 2026 focusing on enology, fermentation science, and sustainable food innovation. Her goal is to become a leading researcher advancing wine processing technologies to support grape growers and promote sustainable industry practices.

Tuan Le
lehoangtuan12312@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisors: Dr. Eifert and Dr. Strawn

Tuan began with the FST graduate program in Fall 2022, and his areas of interest include food safety, food processing, and education. Tuan would love to help ensure a quality, safe food supply through processing innovations.

Luke Leach
luke16@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisors: Dr. Vieira Carneiro

Luke started his FST PhD in the Fall of 2026 after obtaining a chemistry undergraduate degree and working for two years in the chemical industry in Pennsylvania. He would love to someday research agroforestry products and native foods, as it overlaps with his hobbies of hiking, foraging, and conservation.

Mohon Li
mli23@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Ponder

With a passion for food safety, Mohan joined in Fall 2024 with an aspiration to make accurate tools to predict the quantitative dynamics of microbial behavior in foods. Mohan envisions a future where industry and academia intersect.

Evelyn Nelson-Pennebaker
nevelyn@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D. (MACR)
Advisors: Dr. Y. Cheng

Evelyn is a former Virginia Tech undergrad pursuing a doctorate degree starting in Fall 2026. She has a background in biochemistry, and her main research interest is in alternative protein sources and utilizing waste streams.

Monica Osorio Barahona
monicaosorio@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Strawn

Monica joined the Food Science and Technology program in fall 2023, completed her master’s degree in 2025, and is continuing in the Ph.D. program. Her interests include developing practical, industry-relevant strategies to reduce microbial risks and improve fresh produce safety across the entire production chain, from farm to consumer.

Taylor Peele
tpeele1@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D. 
Advisor: Dr. O'Keefe

Taylor researches how peanut skins can be used as a functional ingredient in rainbow trout feed, examining their impact on sensory, chemistry and aquaculture nutrition. In the future Taylor would love to work in the food industry in product development or food application (technical services).

Jason Pough
jasondp@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D. 
Advisor: Dr. Kuhn 

Jason’s research is on taking brewer's spent byproduct and converting it from a low-value waste to a high-value feed additive for farmed fish in the aquaculture sector. He also has experience with microbiome analysis, as his work looks at the shifting intestinal microbiome of trout.

Makana Sloan
makanasloan@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisors: Dr. R. Cheng and Dr. Schonberger

Makana started her graduate degree in Fall 2026. Her interests include food microbiology and product development.

Ann Sandbrook
amdicken@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Y. Cheng

Ann has been an employee of FST since 2011 with a background in nutrition, fermentation, and food chemistry.  She is starting her doctoral journey in Spring 2026 to strengthen her knowledge and support in food packaging.

Madhvi Singh
madhvisinghe66@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. O'Keefe

Madhvi started in Fall 2023. Her dream job would be to either work in government organization or start her own company.

Samuel Steele
sams04@vt.edu
Degree Sought: M.S. LFS
Advisors: Dr. Yin

Sam joined in Fall 2026, pursuing studies in food chemistry. Sam is interested in using analytical instruments to improve produce quality. Fun Fact: Sam holds two junior national champion titles in Olympic Recurve archery.

Tasrova Sultana
tasrova@vt.edu
Degree Sought:Ph.D.
Advisors: Dr. Yin and Dr.  Huang

Tasrova, a current Ph.D. student in Food Science and Technology, is excited to begin the CALS GTS program in Fall 2026. She views this opportunity at Virginia Tech as a vital steppingstone for her academic and professional growth. 

Olivia Vowell
vowello@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisors: Dr. Stewart and Dr. Lahne

Driven by a passion for studying the science of food and nutrition with a goal of becoming a teaching professor, Olivia completed her master's degree in Spring 2026. She is continuing her studies in the Ph.D. program in the fall of 2026 to study topics on food agency and processed food.

Chrissy Walsky
cmwalsky19@vt.edu
Degree Sought: M.S. LFS
Advisor: Dr. Strawn

Chrissy started as a graduate student in Spring 2025 after working as a food microbiology and safety lab technician at FST. That experience led her to continue her education in order to pursue a career in food safety. Her interests include understanding the persistence of foodborne pathogens on low-moisture foods under industry-relevant conditions, as well as the development and dissemination of science-based, food safety educational materials.

Wangyi Wei
wwangyi@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisors: Dr. Yin and Dr. Ponder

Wangyi joined FST in 2024 to hone skills needed to meet his career goal of being a food scientist who develops innovative techniques to benefit the food industry.

Mary Whittimore 
maryw0112@vt.edu
Degree Sought: M.S. LFS
Advisors: Dr. Strawn

 Mary began her graduate journey in 2026, studying the antimicrobial efficacy of essential oil-based wax coatings against Salmonella spp. on fresh produce, with the goal of developing a post-harvest wax alternative for organic growers. In the future, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. and combine her interests in food science and plant pathology, with the goal of becoming a professor in this field. Outside of research, Mary enjoys gardening, fantasy-based video games and books, and spending time with her German shepherd, Hades.

Ruoshi Xiao
rosexiao@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Huang

Ruoshi’s research focuses on plant-based protein extraction and functionality, with an emphasis on brewer’s spent grain. She aims to develop sustainable approaches to improve protein yield and applications in food systems.

Jung Mun (Journey) Yang 
journeyg@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Huang

Journey’s research focuses focuses on the sustainable valorization of food byproducts into functional dietary fiber to promote gut health and sustainable food systems. Driven by a strong interest in sustainability and circular food systems, her long-term career goal is to work in an organization that expands the impact of sustainable food science further.

Shuang Yu
shuangyu@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisors: Dr. Dong and Dr. Ponder

Shuang joined the Virginia Tech FST in Fall 2026, after earning his Master degree in UMass Amherst. He has a strong passion in improving the industry’s food safety routines and hygiene, and developing the methodology in rapid pathogen inactivation and detection while in the laboratory settings.

David Zapata Carvajal
davidzc@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisors: Dr.  Cladis

David completed his M.Sc. at Colorado State University in 2024 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology. His research incorporates analytical chemistry tools to address biological questions related to phytochemicals and other beneficial compounds in foods and their potential contributions to human health. His previous work focused on developing analytical methods to support biofortification in African breeding programs. His research interests include food chemistry, functional foods, and metabolomics. 

Fujunzhu Zhao
fzhao179@vt.edu
Degree Sought: Ph.D.
Advisor: Dr. Huang

Fujunzhu is driven to make a positive impact by advancing the development of biodegradable plastics. She is passionate about addressing global sustainability challenges by contributing to scalable, cost-effective production methods for biodegradable alternatives, helping reduce reliance on petroleum-based plastics through research.

Dr. Abdullah Al Wahaimed 
Degree Earned: Ph.D 
Fall 2025
Advisor: Dr. Eifert

Abdullah entered the program in 2020 and successfully defended his dissertation in December 2025. He graduated shortly thereafter. His research focused on risk assessment of selected veterinary drug residues in cattle, as well as developing strategies to enhance drug residue sampling plans.

Following graduation, Abdullah returned to Saudi Arabia to begin his role as an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine at King Faisal University.

Ellen Gabriel
Degree Earned:  M.S. of Life Sciences in Food Science
Spring 2026
Advisor: Dr. Strawn

Ellen joined the department in fall 2024 with a strong interest in food safety. She is passionate about promoting public health through safe food practices. Her thesis topic was titled "Evaluating the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Copper-Based Pesticides Against Salmonella." She will spend the summer working as a food microbiology intern with a major food corporation.

Elissa Hall
Degree Earned: M.S. of Life Sciences in Food Science
Spring 2026
Advisors: Dr. Lahne and Dr. Carneiro

Elissa joined the graduate program in Fall 2024. Elissa is an aspiring professor with a desire to “shape the academic landscape by conducting impactful research” and to serve as a mentor as well as a teacher of students. Her thesis topic was "Sensory Characterization of Single-Origin Dark Chocolates from Wild Amazonian Cacao." Elissa began a job with Whole Foods. 

Muheng Li
Degree Earned: M.S. of Life Sciences in Food Science
Spring 2026
Advisors: Dr. Cladis and Dr. Ponder

Muheng began in Fall 2024 focusing on the phenolic analysis of Virginia red wine, and building a comprehensive database of phenolic compounds in Virginia red wines, linking grape variety, vineyard, and vintage to wine quality and winemaking practices.  Her thesis topic was "Tannins, Anthocyanins, and other Polyphenols in Finished Virginia Cabernet Franc wines: A Multi-Vintage and Multi-Region Characterization."

Rachel Nimitz
Degree Earned: M.S. LFS
Summer 2026
Advisors: Dr. O'Keefe and Dr. Hurley

Rachel began in Fall 2024 with interests in food chemistry and food safety, with career interests related to quality assurance and research and development. Rachel's thesis was "Investigating Antimicrobial Peptides from the Epidermal Mucus of Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus)."

Dacia Ringo 
Degree Earned: M.S. of Life Sciences in Food Science
Spring 2026
Advisors: Dr. Huang and Dr. Ponder

Dacia joined as a graduate student in Fall 2024 to concentrate on Food Microbiology and Food Safety. Specifically Dacia wants to study foodborne pathogens including cross-contamination, microbial spoilage, and food processing in order to have an impactful future career. Dacia's thesis was "Effect of Treatment Parameters on Extraction of Ferulic Acid and p-Coumaric Acid from Brewer's Spent Grain using Citric Acid-assisted Subcritical Water Treatment."

Dr. Zhiyuan (Zane) Xu 
Degree Earned: Ph.D.
Spring 2026
Advisor: Dr. Huang

Zane began the program in fall 2022 with the goal of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a professor in food science. One of his primary areas of interest is the conversion of food waste into value added chemicals through fermentation. His thesis, Advancing Food Safety and Public Health through Visible Light Responsive Antimicrobial Materials, reflects his focus on innovative approaches to food safety.

Zane began a postdoctoral position at the University of California, Davis, in summer 2026.

Dr. Saehah Yi
Degree Earned: Ph.D.
Summer 2026
Advisor: Dr. Ponder

Saehah began the Food Science and Technology (FST) graduate program in Fall 2023 with a strong interest in antimicrobial resistance and microbial interactions in food and environmental systems through a One Health lens. Her long term goal is to pursue an academic career in food microbiology and public health. In June, she successfully defended her dissertation, Food and Water as Vehicles for Transmission of Antibiotic Resistant Escherichia coli in the Chobe District of Botswana. Following the completion of her Ph.D., Saehah will continue her research career as a Postdoctoral Scholar in Delaware.

Other Spring 2026 graduates include the following students, who will be advancing into our Ph.D. program and are highlighted above in the current student section:

• Julia Adornetto - Her thesis topic was "Sensory properties, consumer acceptability, nutritional composition, and flavor profiles of dark chocolates made from wild fine-flavor Amazonian cacao"
• Molly Caron - Her thesis was "From Field to Function: A Phenolic Analysis of Virginia Blackberries and Blackberry Products"
• Olivia Vowell -Her thesis was  "Characterization of Southern Apple Varieties for Cider Production"