Purdue Food Science

Purdue Food Science This is the official page for the Department of Food Science at Purdue University.

The Department of Food Science at Purdue University is committed to impacting the world food system and quality of life by educating and training undergraduate and graduate students for careers in industry, government, and academia. Our mission is to expand and transfer knowledge for continuous improvement of the safety, quality, value, and security of the world’s food supply through basic researc

h and outreach programs. Our faculty, staff, and students are located on Purdue University’s main campus in the Philip E. Nelson Hall of Food Science, 745 Agriculture Mall Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907. This building provides excellent research laboratories, as well as specialized facilities such as the sensory evaluation laboratory, pilot scale-manufacturing plant, student product development and innovation laboratory, and enology library for us to engage with the food and beverage industry and government partners.

09/03/2026

Purdue University’s College of Agriculture is thrilled to welcome Ozan Ciftci, a renowned expert in food engineering, to the Department of Food Science. Ciftci was hired through Purdue’s Moveable Dream Hires program. The program is designed to attract high-performing, top-caliber faculty to the ...

After years of conducting impactful research in the foods for health space with the Whistler Center, Dr. Thaisa Cantu-Ju...
09/03/2026

After years of conducting impactful research in the foods for health space with the Whistler Center, Dr. Thaisa Cantu-Jungles has been appointed Assistant Professor - Food as Medicine. This move supports Purdue's initiative. Please join us in congratulating her on this career milestone!

Read more about Dr. Cantu-Jungles' fiber research: https://ag.purdue.edu/news/2025/04/mixing-fibers-for-gut-health.html

Our final summer spotlight of the year shines on Food Science junior Himanjali Tavva. This summer, she gained hands-on i...
09/01/2026

Our final summer spotlight of the year shines on Food Science junior Himanjali Tavva. This summer, she gained hands-on industry experience as a Quality Assurance Intern with dsm-firmenich in Germantown, WI. Her work included environmental monitoring, food safety, GMPs, audits, and quality systems, along with learning about ingredient formulation and cultures used to create food products. One of Himanjali's favorite parts of the internship was exploring different areas of the company and seeing how they come together to make a final product.

A strong start to the semester means making time for both connection and career preparation. Last week, Purdue Food Scie...
08/31/2026

A strong start to the semester means making time for both connection and career preparation. Last week, Purdue Food Science students started the new academic year with a little bit of both!

At our Welcome Back Game Night, students gathered to reconnect with friends, meet new classmates and enjoy a DIY dirty soda bar.

Students also sharpened their professional skills at a resume workshop, giving them a head start as they prepare to meet employers at upcoming career fairs.

We love seeing our students make the most of their college experience by building friendships, developing their skills and preparing for their futures. Here’s to a great semester ahead!

Purdue Food Science faculty and staff gathered last week for the annual department retreat to recharge, reconnect, and r...
08/28/2026

Purdue Food Science faculty and staff gathered last week for the annual department retreat to recharge, reconnect, and refocus for the new academic year. During the event, our team took a break from colleague presentations to flex their creative muscles by painting their own coffee mugs. Every artist needs a masterpiece, and we think our team created a few! Here’s to bringing that same creativity and collaboration to the year ahead.

Our undergraduate students are back on campus, but many of them brought back new skills that they garnered this summer f...
08/28/2026

Our undergraduate students are back on campus, but many of them brought back new skills that they garnered this summer from industry experiences. Senior Gwen Brubaker spent her summer at Red Gold as a product development intern.

"My favorite part of the experience was getting to develop my own fire roasted salsas. I loved working collaboratively with a team and seeing the ins and outs of being a food scientist including bench work and desk work."

This semester, we are proud to welcome three new faculty members to our department. ⭐️Dr. Hui-Hui Wang, Associate Profes...
08/27/2026

This semester, we are proud to welcome three new faculty members to our department.

⭐️Dr. Hui-Hui Wang, Associate Professor, STEM Integration - Transitioned from Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication (ASEC) after department closure

⭐️Dr. Ozan Ciftci, Professor and Scholle Endowed Chair in Food Processing

⭐️Dr. Deniz Ciftci, Clinical Research Professor, Food Systems Innovation and Professional Education

Please join us in welcoming these outstanding faculty members to the department! We’re excited for the expertise and perspectives they bring as we continue advancing food science through research, teaching, and engagement.

Read more about new faculty in the Purdue College of Agriculture: https://ag.purdue.edu/news/2026/08/the-college-of-agriculture-welcomes-six-new-faculty-members-for-fall-2026-semester.html

Gabriel Garcia recently took his next giant leap by defending his master's thesis. Under the advisement of Drs. Bruce Ha...
08/26/2026

Gabriel Garcia recently took his next giant leap by defending his master's thesis. Under the advisement of Drs. Bruce Hamaker and Thaisa Cantu-Jungles, Gabriel's research focused on optimizing dietary fiber mixtures to enhance gut health and investigating their effects on short-chain fatty acid production and gut microbiota modulation. Congratulations, Gabriel!

Read more about Gabriel and his time at Purdue: https://ag.purdue.edu/department/foodsci/graduate-student-profiles/gabriel-garcia.html

A new class of Boilermaker food scientists has officially arrived!We kicked off the 2026-27 academic year by welcoming o...
08/25/2026

A new class of Boilermaker food scientists has officially arrived!

We kicked off the 2026-27 academic year by welcoming our newest students at our freshman welcome brunch and the Boiler Gold Rush carnival. From their first days on campus to the discoveries, friendships and experiences ahead, we’re excited to watch this class grow into the next generation of food science leaders.

Here’s to the next four years! Boiler Up!

Address

745 Agriculture Mall Drive
West Lafayette, IN
47907

Telephone

+17654948256

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