Students & Staff

Staff

Cathy Blood

Events Coordinator
Email

Tonia Green

Research Intern
Email

Brasathe Jeganathan

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email

Jana Richter

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email

Laboratory Alumni

• Nattapon Kaisangsri – Exchange Ph. D. Student from Thailand
• Peter Gray – Technical Staff – Retired
• Ilce ‘Gaby’ Medina-Meza – Post Doctorate 2014-2016 Research Topic: Thermal Processing of Foods. Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
• Bhim Thapa – MS student at Washington State University
• Isuru Wijesekara – Post Doctorate 2014-2015. Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
• Angelina Zack – Post Doctorate 2021-2022.  Current Position:

Graduate Students

Josh Bernin

Current PhD Student. Expected date of graduation: December 2026.
Project: Product development and extrusion cooking.

Elizabeth Nalbandian

Current PhD Student. Expected date of graduation: December 2025.
Project:

Lovepreet Singh

Current Master’s Student – The expected date of graduation is December 2023.
Project: Effect of Direct Steam Injection and pH change on the functionality of milk protein concentrate powders.

Caleb Wagner

Current PhD Student. Expected date of graduation: December 2024.
Project: General food extrusion processing, effect of dietary fiber addition to meat analog, physical mechanisms of texturization and fiber formation in high moisture meat analog, product development.

Preston Watanabe

Current Master’s Student – The expected date of graduation is Spring 2025.
Project:

Aniket

Current PhD Student. Expected date of graduation: December 2027.
Project: Enhancing the functionality of plant proteins through fractionation and modification, and their extrusion processing for innovative applications.

Graduates

• Nicole Aluwi, MS – Graduated: May 2016, Current Position: Principal Food Scientist at Schwan’s Company LinkedIn
• Nancy D. Asen, MS – Graduated: May 2017, Current Position: Graduate Student, Canada LinkedIn
• Elvis Baidoo, MS – Project: Extrusion Processing Characterization of Quinoa Varieties
• Debomitra Dey, PhD – Graduated May 2022. Current position:  Advanced Application Scientist at Anton Paar USA LinkedIn
• Gaurav Dhumal, MS – Graduated: December 2017, Current Position: Senior Scientise at ICL Food Specialties LinkedIn
• Pichmony Ek, PhD Graduated: December 2021.  Current position:  Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Institute of Technology of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. LinkedIn
• Bon-Jae Gu, PhD – Graduated in December 2019 Current Position: Assistant Professor, Kongju National University, South Korea LinkedIn
• Kejia Gu, MS Graduated December 2021 Current Position: Flavor Analyst at IFF LinkedIn
• Marina L Ikuse, MS – Graduated: May 2023, Current Position: LinkedIn
• Sravya Kallu, MS – Graduated: August 2015, Current Position: Engineering Manager, Beyond Meat LinkedIn
• Ryan Kowalski, PhD – Graduated: May 2017, Current Position: Process Specialist at Hill’s Pet Nutrition LinkedIn
• Chongjun Li, MS – Graduated: May 2016, Current Position: Senior Food Technologist at Trident Seafoods LinkedIn
• Ewa Pietrysiak, PhD – Graduated Spring 2020, Current Position: Director of Marketing/Innovation: USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council LinkedIn
• Maria Dian Pratiwi Masli, MS – Graduated: May 2017, Current Position: Product Development Scientist, Jakarata, Indonesia LinkedIn
• Trent Millin, MS – Graduated: July 2014, Current Position: Product Development/QA Manager, Valley Processing Inc., Sunnyside, WA
• Irene Rangira, MS – Graduated May 2020.  Ph.D. student in Canada. LinkedIn
• Jana Richter, PhD – Graduated December 2023. LinkedIn
• Gabriely Soncin Alfaro, MS – Graduated December 2023.
• Siyuan Wang, PhD – Graduated: December 2017, Current Position: Research Scientist at Chi Forest LinkedIn
• Yujing Zhu, MS Graduated Spring 2019 LinkedIn

Current Undergraduate Students

• Breana Downs, Summer 2022 to date. Junior. Biology. Pacific Lutheran University
• Margaret McGlothern, Spring 2021 to date. Junior. Food Science. WSU
• Natalie Christine Camerino, Fall 2021 to date. Sophomore. Food Science. WSU
• Bradley Stephen Lubeck, Fall 2019 to date. Senior. Food Science. WSU.

Undergraduate Student Alumni

• Mahvash Rezaey, Fall 2023. Senior. Food Science. WSU
• Marek Alexander Fitos-Link, Fall 2021. Freshman. Food Science. WSU.
• Luuvan Nguyen Hoang, Spring 2019 to Spring 2022. Senior. Food Science. WSU.
• Elizabeth Bitar Nalbandian, Fall 2019 to Fall 2022. Senior. Food Science. WSU.
• Alissa Marie Jilk, Fall 2020 to Spring 2021. Junior. Ag. Ed.. WSU.
• Elea Joy Van Weerdhuizen, Fall 2019 to Spring 2021. Junior. Ag. Ed.. WSU.
• James Lawrence, Fall 2019 to Spring 2020. Senior. Food Science. WSU.
• August Scellick Wavra, Summer 2019 to Spring 2020. Senior. Food Science. WSU.
• Ivy Klopher. Summer 2018 to Summer 2020. Senior. Food Science. WSU.
• Preston Watanabe. Fall 2017 to Fall 2021. Senior. Food Science. WSU.
• Lauren Rose Rooney. Summer 2019 to Spring 2020. Food Science. WSU.
• Rebeca Velasquez Morales. Summer 2019 to Fall 2019. Food Science. WSU.
• Christopher Kerr.  2019. School of Chemical Engineering, WSU.
• Julianne Kummer. 2019. Food Science, WSU.
• Greg Housley. 2018. Food Science, WSU.
• Katy Lobeda. 2018. Food Science, Virginia Tech.
• Lyssa Blood. 2018. Electrical Engineering, Gonzaga University.
• Cristen Frieszell. 2018. Food Science, WSU.
• John Johnson. 2018. Food Science, WSU.
• Serena Ranney. 2018. Food Science, WSU.
• Jacob Hause. 2018. Food Science, WSU.
• Victoria Wilk. 2017. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY.
• Arjun Dangi. 2017. Mechanical Engineering, WSU.
• Henry Campbell. 2017. Food Science, WSU.
• Puspita Hamijoyo, 2017. Food Science, WSU.
• Arianne W. Kreger.  2017. Food Science, WSU.
• Oscar R. Ulloa. 2017. Food Science, WSU.
• Kristen Sparkman.  2016. Food Science, WSU.
• Chongjun Li. 2015. Food Science, WSU.
• Jacob Blaylock. 2015. Food Science, WSU.