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Food Science and Technology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The Department of Food Science and Technology is housed in a separate 34,000 square-foot building, and is well-equipped with a variety of analytical instrumentation, equipment, and research-scale pilot plant facilities for use by students. Virginia Tech faculty and staff are extremely willing to work with students from departments other than their own by lending equipment as well as offering their time and expertise.
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360 Duckpond Drive (0418) Blacksburg VA 24061
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Department Head : Renee Boyer
Graduate Program Director : Joseph Eifert (Graduate Program Director)
Professors:
Renee Boyer;
Joseph Eifert;
Sean O'Keefe;
Monica Ponder;
Susan Sumner
Associate Professors:
Haibo Huang;
David Kuhn;
Amanda Stewart;
Laura Strawn
Assistant Professors:
Yifan Cheng;
Rachel Cheng;
Dennis Cladis;
Alexis Hamilton;
Jacob Lahne;
Yun Yin
Research Scientists:
Joell Eifert;
Katheryn Parraga-Estrada (Hampton Seafood AREC);
Harry Schonberger;
Brian Wiersema
Assistant Professor of Practice:
Herbert Bruce
Food Science and Technology Introduction
Food science and technology is a fusion of chemistry, microbiology and engineering. Our researchers explore innovation in the areas of creating new, healthful food products, and ensuring a safe and tasty food supply. Specific research emphases include: improving food nutrition, quality and flavor, developing novel functional food ingredients and products for promoting human health, packaging design and use of advanced technologies to identify and control food-borne disease causing organisms.
Individual graduate programs are customized with the advisor to emphasize food safety/microbiology, biochemistry, food chemistry, or packaging. Student graduate programs are built around courses in microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, engineering, and statistics. This diverse curriculum prepares students for opportunities in industry, universities or government. Students who earn graduate degrees in Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech have pursued careers with large food companies (Nestle, Campbell, Kroger, ConAgra, Hershey, etc.) and public health agencies (USDA, FDA, State Health and Agriculture Departments).
Offered In (Blacksburg)
Degree Requirements
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Institution code: 5859
A Masters degree is expected for students applying to the doctoral program. In exceptional cases, some students with only a Bachelors degree may be considered for a direct Bachelors to PhD program. Students who do not have academic training equivalent to that required for a B.S. degree in Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech will complete three selected core courses before graduation. The TOEFL or IELTS exams are not required for international applicants if they earned a degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction.
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Offered In (Blacksburg)
Degree Requirements
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Institution code: 5859
Students with a B.S. degree in Food Science (or other majors such as Chemistry, Biology, Food Engineering, Animal Science or Human Nutrition) are welcome to apply to our Masters degree program to earn a Master in Life Sciences (MSLFS) in Food Science and Technology.
Students who do not have academic training equivalent to that required for a B.S. degree in Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech will complete selected core courses before graduation. Students without a background in a science related field may be required to complete supplemental courses before being admitted to a regular student status. Any supplemental course work recommended by the Graduate Committee will be communicated to the applicant in a letter.
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Department Research Facilities
The Department has research activity both on the Blacksburg campus and at the Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) in Hampton, Virginia. Research and teaching facilities on the Blacksburg campus are located in the Food Science and Technology Building and in the Human & Agricultural Biosciences Building. These are further described below.
Food Science and Technology Building
The Department of Food Science and Technology facilities are primarily based in two buildings. The Food Science and Technology Building is a 34,000 square-foot building which includes a 68-seat classroom and a variety of analytical instrumentation, equipment, and research-scale pilot plant facilities including: Food Analysis Laboratories, Microbiology Laboratories, Packaging and Processing Pilot Plant, Recirculating Aquaculture Laboratory, Research Winery and Enology Laboratory, Sensory Evaluation Laboratory, and administration offices.
Human and Agricultural Biosciences Building 1 (HABB1):
The Human and Agricultural Biosciences Building 1 houses research facilities for both the Food Science and Technology and the Biological Systems Engineering departments. The 93,860-square-foot building incorporates laboratory and support facilities, focusing on a wide range of microbiological and biochemical research. Researchers benefit from the expanded space which houses research programs on food safety, food packaging and processing, environmental quality analysis, bioenergy and biomaterials, systems biology, and nanotechnology, among other areas. This building includes the following:
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open workspaces and communal areas for faculty, students and industry to work collaboratively
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research laboratories with shared equipment and laboratory support spaces consolidated in the core of the building
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a 7,100 square foot food processing pilot plant.
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a 2,200 square foot food safety pilot plant certified for use with biosafety level 2 human pathogens
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sensory evaluation laboratory complete with sensory data collection software, observational cameras and multi-option booth lighting, individual panelist booths, prep kitchens, and group debriefing and discussion rooms.
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offices for researchers and work spaces for graduate students.
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Course Listing for Food Science and Technology
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