Faculty Directory

Faculty members in the Department of Grain and Food Science come from many different backgrounds and focus on a variety of disciplines.

Department Head

Areas of Specialization

Joseph Awika

Plant Derived Secondary Metabolite Chemistry Relevant to Food Quality; Nutrition and Human Health; Bioactive Compound (small molecules) Interactions in Food Matrix; Phenolic Compound Food-polymer Interactions and Consequences on Food Properties; Biological Effects of Plant Derived Bioactive Compounds and International Nutrition and Food Security.

Adjunct Faculty

Emeritus Faculty

Faculty		Area(s) of Specialization
	Sajid Alavi Professor	Food engineering, specifically Extrusion Processing in Food; Pet Food and Feed Applications; Rheology; Mmicrostructure Imaging; Structure - Texture Relationships; Advances on the Interface of Processing and Nutrition; Process Sustainability and Use of AI and Machine Learning Tools in Processing
	Guy Allen Senior Agricultural Economist; Grain Marketing and Risk Management Curriculum Manager	Agribusiness - domestic & international; commodity trading and risk management; supply chain logistics and commodity analysis and new business development
	Karen Blakeslee Extension Associate	Food Science for Extension Agents Coordinator of the Rapid Response Center and Co-Director of the Kansas Value Added Foods Lab
	Paul Blodgett Hal Ross Flour Mill; Program/Project Manager	Materials Handling; Technical Milling; Mill Maintenance; Flour Milling; Durum Milling and Plant and Mill Operations
	Carlos Campabadal Instructor/ IGP Outreach Specialist	Grain Quality; Storage and Processing and Feed Manufacturing Engineering and Spanish Language Technical Support
	Fran Churchill Professor of Practice; NAMA Instructor	Technical Flour Milling and Plant Operations
	Aaron Clanton BNEF Instructor	Baking Science; Flour and Ingredient Functionality and Product Development and Bakery Operations
	Hulya Dogan Ross Endowed Professor	Food Engineering; Grain Processing and Milling; Biopolymer Science; Fundamental and Empirical Rheology; Physical, Mechanical, Thermo-mechanical and Microstructural Characterization; Structure-Texture Relationships; Food Processing; Extrusion and Mathematical Modeling and Process Optimization
	Huseyin Dogan Professor of Practice	Process Flow Diagram for Grain Operations; Power Distribution and Management on Grain Processing Facilities; Flour and Feed Technology and 2-D and 3-D Plant Design with AutoCAD
	Kelly Getty Professor and Extension Specialist	Food safety; Food Product Development; Ingredient Functionality and Food Processing
	Elisa Karkle Assistant Professor	Baking and Cereal Science; Sourdough Fermentation; Ingredient Functionality in Grain-based Foods and End-product Quality Assessment
	Yonghui Li Associate Professor; Wheat Quality Lab Director; Graduate Program Director	Grain Protein Chemistry & Applications; Bioactive Compounds and Peptides; Bakery Science & Chemistry and Applied AI and Machine Learning.
	Abbey Nutsch Teaching Professor/FDSCI; Undergraduate Teaching Coordinator	Food Science and Food Microbiology
	Chad Paulk Associate Professor; Undergraduate Programs Chair and Teaching Coordinator	Feed Processing Technologies; Monogastric Nutrition and Quality Assurance and Feed Safety
	Julia Guazzelli Pezzali Assistant Professor; Pet Food Program Director	Pet Food Processing Technologies; Nutritional Impacts of Processing; Pet Food Quality; Functional Foods; Companion Animal Nutrition and Metabolism and Protein Metabolism
	Deanna Retzlaff Teaching Professor	Food Microbiology; Online Education and Advising Nontraditional Student Populations
	Kaliramesh Siliveru University Outstanding Scholar; Associate Professor	Grain processing and Milling; Food Safety; Process Modeling and Simulation; Particle Technology and Mmaterials Handling.
	Yong-Cheng Shi Professor	Starch Structure and Functionality; Physical, Chemical and Genetic Modifications of Starch; Enzymatic Modifications of Biopolymers; Cereal Starch Digestibility and Carbohydrate Nutrition
	Scott Smith Professor; Chair, Food Science Graduate Program	Food Chemistry and Toxicology
	Shawn Thiele IGP Associate Director; Flour Milling and Grain Processing Specialist	Technical Milling and Grain Processing; Specialty Grain Milling and Plant Operations
	Jason Watt Buhler Instructor of Milling	Technical Milling