Food Safety and Food Microbiology

Our faculty working in food safety and microbiology explore the interactions between microbial communities, food, and food consumers with the goal of improving the safety, health, and quality of the local and global food supply. This field encompasses the study of spoilage microorganisms, foodborne pathogens, and beneficial microbes at every link in the supply chain, from farm to table. Our research includes everything from produce safety at harvest to food pathogen epidemiology to shelf life stability.

Disciplines

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Microbiology

Food Safety and Preservation

Extension

Epidemiology

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Health and Nutrition

Food Chemistry

Featured Project

Virginia Tech researchers studying how human food scraps contribute to diseases in ecosystems

More About this Research

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Monica Ponder, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology, partnered with researchers at the Chobe Research Lab in Botswana to study how bacterial diarrheal-associated diseases like Campylobacter spread through

ecosystems, including how they make their way into local wildlife populations. They also examined the environmental factors that cause antibiotic resistance in these bacteria.

Faculty

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Alexis M. Hamilton , bio
Assistant Professor: Food Processing Microbiology
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Joseph Eifert , bio
Professor and Graduate Program Director: Food Safety, Poultry Processing, HACCP and Risk Assessment, Food Laws and Regulations, Food Safety Education
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Katheryn Parraga-Estrada , bio
Extension Specialist – Muscle Food Safety, Seafood Safety, Extension, Food Safety Education
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Kim Waterman , bio
Laboratory Manager
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Laura K. Strawn , bio
Associate Professor: Food Microbiology, Produce Safety
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Lester Schonberger , bio
Associate Extension Specialist: Food Safety Education, Food Donation
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Melissa Wright , bio
Director, Food Producer Technical Assistance Network
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Monica Ponder , bio
Professor: Microbiology
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Rachel Cheng , bio
Assistant Professor: Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Foodborne Illness Virulence and Disease Severity, Host-Pathogen Interactions of Foodborne Pathogens
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Renee Boyer , bio
Department Head; Professor and Extension Specialist: Food Safety, Outreach
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Tatiana Lorca , bio
Director of Supplier Risk, Compass Group North America; Adjunct Assistant Professor
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Yifan Cheng , bio
Assistant Professor: Food Packaging, Food Process Engineering, Food Safety, Antimicrobial Nanostructures for Food Contact Surfaces, Intelligent Packaging