- 2020
Thomas Culp
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Thomas Culp
I graduated from the Undergraduate Food Science Program in spring of 2020. The skills and experiences I had learned in the program had prepared me to jumpstart my career, even through a pandemic. Since graduation I have been a food technologist at Barry Callebaut, where I use the physical-chemical knowledge I learned in the classroom to develop experiments that improve the production of almond butter products as well as other tree nut confections. I am eager to move forward in my career even further, and even plan to return to Rutgers as a graduate student in the MBS program with a concentration in food science. Rutgers had prepared me for the challenges to come as a scientist in the food industry and I cannot wait to come back and learn even more!
Anh Minh Le
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Anh Minh Le
The write up: I would like to share with you something that I believe is credited to the guidance and support of the staff and faculty of the Rutgers Food Science Department. During my final semester, while everything was being at home, I have put together a team of food scientists and young entrepreneurs and created a nutrition alternative solution company called Swiftlet Co. with the goal to address food-related health issues with delightful and nutritious products. We are based out of several ASEAN countries.
Charles Lee
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Charles Lee
I graduated from Rutgers University cum laude in May 2020 with a Bachelors in Food Science. I am currently working as a Co-op at Campbell Soup Company in their Research and Development (R&D) Department. I am in a cross functional position where I support two different teams in R&D, both the Front of Funnel and Technical Solutions Hub Teams. I am also currently getting my Masters of Business and Science (MBS) in Food Science from Rutgers University as well. I plan on finishing my graduate degree after my Co-op at Campbell. I make connections to what I have learned in the classroom every day. This is my first experience in a corporate environment and I really feel prepared from Rutgers! Go RU! --- Charles Lee
- 2019
Gabriella Yankovich
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Gabriella Yankovich
I graduated Rutgers with a degree in Food Science under the Management and Economics option, with a minor in Environmental and Business Economics. I was involved with Food Science Club and volunteered in Dr Ludescher's lab one summer. I am now working for Innospec Performance Chemicals as a Sales Account Manager in the Personal Care division. Personal care products include skincare, body care, haircare, and sun-care. My role entails avid customer communication to provide technical, regulatory, operations, planning, and marketing assistance, along with my team, to launch new products into the market, as well as keeping current ones afloat and within consumer demand. We have a large focus on sustainability formulations and factor into all steps of the manufacturing process to reduce our carbon footprint, as well as developing less water, less plastic products. I am currently studying to achieve a diploma in Cosmetic Science through the Society of Cosmetic Scientists Distance Learning program. I did not envision myself in the chemical industry after studying food science, but there is an immaculate parallel between the formulation chemistry and product development of surfactants and foods. My passion for beauty and science has led me to the exciting job I have today. But not without testing various roles in the industries as an intern or volunteer to help decipher my career path.
Kayleigh Torcivia
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Kayleigh Torcivia
The Rutgers Career fair put me in touch with CJ Foods, a Korean company that manufactures Asian products such as dumplings, noodles, and samosas. Shortly after graduating from the Food Science program in 2019 I was hired as a Quality Assurance Analyst. Maintaining quality systems is much more complex and honestly more interesting than I expected. From building a rapport with our USDA Inspectors, to creating environmental monitoring plans to control microbiological quantities, to researching and implementing new software to improve monitoring I love that my job pushes me to work with all departments to really understand the systems behind stocking our grocery store shelves (not to mention the free Spanish and Korean lessons I get from the other employees). Overall I would say that Food Science is a great field because it encompases so many different opportunities for one to pursue.
Longbipei Cao
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Longbipei Cao
I joined Colgate-Palmolive oral care product development after I graduated from school. Then, the pandemic came, and I chose to move back to China in July 2020. Fortunately, I was able to find a new job here in China quickly. I currently work for Mars Wrigley China as a Product Development Scientist, mainly responsible for developing gum, mints, and fruity confection product, bringing cool concepts to real life for the Asia market. If you see any new Doublemint/Extra/Skittles products came out in the Asian market in the next few years. I am likely involved in the development process. I am also taking part-time MBS courses online at Rutgers.
Yaxin Fan
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Yaxin Fan
got my bachelor's degree in Food Science from Rutgers in May 2019 and since then I have taken various job responsibilities in food industry. I started my career in the frozen processed food industry at CJ Foods. Through my time there as an R&D researcher, I led the development of several new products from ideation to mass production and reformatted the existing products to cater to the changed customer demands. Because of the personal interests, I jumped into the functional snack industry as a food technologist. I was able to expand my knowledge of food chemistry, food processing and food microbiology to the new business quickly and I have successfully launched and commercialized several products to drive the business growth for my current employer Cibo Vita. Being in the food R&D field is challenging but satisfying. The Food Science program at Rutgers well prepared me for my success in this career and I look forward to seeing more innovation in the industry driven by Rutgers Alumni!
- 2018
Alexia Ciarfella
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Alexia Ciarfella
After graduating from Food Science (Research Option) with a double major in Nutritional Sciences last May, I started working full time at Mondelez International in August. The Rutgers University Food Science Department truly helped jump-start my career, as I interviewed for my first internship at Mondelez right in the old Dudley's Cafe! At Mondelez, I am part of the North American Biscuit Innovation group where I work to create and commercialize OREO line extensions. This role is super fast paced, as we work closely with cross-functional colleagues to launch 12+ different types of OREOs per year. Nothing can compare to the feeling of seeing the first OREO that I worked on- Most Stuf OREO- appear on the grocery store shelf! To grow my technical expertise as I start my career at Mondelez, I am also a part-time student in the RU Food Science graduate program, where I am pursing a Master's degree under the guidance of Dr. Ludescher.
Brinley Burdge
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Brinley Burdge
During my time at Rutgers I was very involved in the food science club, I was on eboard junior year. I also worked closely with the aresty research department after doing the summerscience program under Dr. Carman studying lipid synthesis in yeast I became a peer instructor helping other students navigate college level research. At Rutgers I was really involved in my social/professional STEM and engineering sorority Alpha Omega Ellison where I served as President senior year. After finishing my quality and food safety internship at Mars Wrigley confectionary the summer before my senior year I was offered a full time position after graduation. I started full time in August on the Raw Materials team working on material risk assessments for all the raw materials that our network uses. It's really interesting to learn about all the products we use and the risks that are associated with them.
- 2017
Jay Sanghani
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Jay Sanghani
Jay graduated from Rutgers in 2017 with a B.S. in Food Science, Research Option. During his undergraduate years he was the President of the Undergraduate Food Science Club, brother of The Fraternity of Alpha Zeta, member of Rutgers Quidditch team, and did research in Dr. Karwe, Dr. Simon, and Dr. Shapses' labs. He completed a product development internship at Keurig Green Mountain in the Summer of 2016. At Keurig, he developed coffee prototypes and tested them by leading an expert sensory evaluation panel. Jay now works as a Research Technologist for DanoneWave (Dannon) in Research and Innovation. He works closely with sensory, marketing, and quality teams to develop new yogurt prototypes for Danimals, Light and Fit, and Private Label brands. In the near future, Jay would like to pursue a Master's degree.
Kevin Tveter
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Kevin Tveter
Kevin Tveter graduated from Rutgers University's in January of 2017 with a B.S. in Food Science (Research Option). What is unique regarding Kevin's situation being his ability to manage graduating Magna Cum Laude while functioning as the full-time primary caretaker of his household; his mother has been registered as legally disabled since 2009 within the states of NY and NJ. Thus, many responsibilities not typical to college students such as managing his mother's medicinal needs and household obligations fell upon his daily tasks while completing his schoolwork. Currently, Kevin is living his dream of being a researcher as he works for his PhD in Dr. Diana Roopchand's lab within the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health on Cook campus. Primarily, he works researching the benefits of grape polyphenols on improving metabolic syndrome, diabetes and the symptoms characteristic of these diseases. Kevin's ultimate career goal is to utilize his talents to further help improve the current health state of our societies via improving current food systems, biochemical pathways, and understanding the implication of food consumption on transcriptional factors and epigenetics.
- 2016
Vahini Manivannan
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Vahini Manivannan
I graduated from the Rutgers Food Science Graduate Program in 2016. During my graduate days, I worked in Dr. Karwe and Dr. Schaffner's lab for my master's thesis project on inactivation of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris. Having switched to Food Science from an undergraduate degree in Biotechnology, I consider my learning experience at Rutgers rewarding as it helped me to explore new career avenues. While studying at Rutgers, I completed my internship as a Packaging Engineer at Bristol Myers Squibb. From the summer of 2015, I started working full time as a Quality and Regulatory Affairs Associate at GNT USA, Inc., a leading food color manufacturing firm located in Tarrytown, NY. In this role, I ensured the products are US-FDA compliant and helped develop a FSMA compliance plan for GNT. Recently, I switched my career from food industry to the pharmaceutical industry. Currently, I work for Reckitt in the Regulatory Division, driving innovation and optimization of Upper Respiratory portfolio. My role entails providing regulatory expertise for OTC monograph and NDA drugs, to comply with the regulatory requirements and to provide regulatory assistance for the launch of new products into the market. To me, the most exciting part about working in regulatory is that it is a cross functional role, where you will be working in a fast-paced environment that is constantly evolving, so never a dull day at work.
Sarah Waxman
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Sarah Waxman
Sarah Waxman graduated from Rutgers in May 2016 with a triple major in Food Science (research option), Nutritional Science, and Biology. As an undergrad Sarah conducted research in Dr. Ludescher's lab focusing on the use of Azo dyes as luminescent probes for the physical properties of food. Sarah was an active member of the Rutgers Food Science club and served as President her senior year. Sarah was active on campus working as a Resident Assistant, a FIGS instructor, and the chair of the service committee in Alpha Zeta. After completing two summer internships at Mondelez International, Sarah accepted a full-time position as an Associate Scientist on the Lipids Team in Ingredient Research at Mondelez where she works on lipids research projects with applications for some of her favorite snacks such as Oreos and Chips Ahoy! Sarah is also part time pursuing a graduate degree at Rutgers under the advisement of Dr. Ludescher.
Derrick Fondaco
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Derrick Fondaco
Derrick graduated from Rutgers in May 2016, majoring in Food Science, Research Option. As an undergraduate, Derrick did research for three years on the TIM-1 gastrointestinal model, under Dr. Rogers, Dr. Corradini, and Dr. Ludescher. Derrick was an active member of the Undergraduate Food Science Club and was Vice President during his senior year. After completing an internship in the summer before his senior year, Derrick accepted an offer to join Unilever full-time after graduation as an Associate Food Scientist in Ice Cream. He started in June 2016 as a Product Developer on the Breyers innovation team, where he began developing new flavors for 2018. In his current role, Derrick leads cost-savings and quality-related projects on North American ice cream brands (Breyers, Klondike, Magnum, Talenti, Popsicle, Good Humor) and tea brands (Lipton, Pure Leaf). Whether it's making product in the pilot plant, coordinating factory trials, working with suppliers, improving flavors, or tracking consumer complaints, Derrick loves that every day and every project is completely different.
Christina Giuliano
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Christina Giuliano
Christina graduated from Rutgers in May of 2016, majoring in Food Science, and minoring in Nutrition. During her undergraduate years, she was an active member of the Rutgers Performing Dance Company, and served as the Secretary of the Undergraduate Food Science Club during her senior year. As an undergraduate student, Christina spent two semesters working in Dr. Tepper's sensory lab where she found her passion for sensory science. After graduation, she moved on to work in the Sensory department at the L'Oreal US Research and Innovation Center for a year. During her time at L'Oreal, Christina worked closely with labs in both France and the US in order to develop and improve products to be sold worldwide under brands such as L'Oréal, Maybelline, Kiehl's, Garnier, and Lancôme. As of June 2018, Christina is working in the Consumer Sensory Insights department at Nestle Health Science with teams located in the US, and across Europe and Asia to develop nutritional beverages to be used for patients ranging in age from birth through adulthood. These products support many different patients including oncology patients, dysphagia patients, high-risk infants, and patients suffering from gastrointestinal impairments of all ages. This fall, Christina will be participating in the Applied Sensory and Consumer Science Certificate Program with UC Davis, and hopes to return to Rutgers to complete her MBS in Food Science.
- 2015
Dane Jensen
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Dane Jensen
I completed my MS and PhD from the Rutgers Graduate School of Food Science. My career in food started by working as a part-time chef while also attending Rutgers for my undergraduate degree (2005-ish). I joined the lab of Dr. Schaffner in 2009, working as a lab tech in the Food Microbiology Risk Reduction Program. There I learned the basics of food microbiology and risk assessment. In 2010 I started my graduate work, also in Dr. Schaffner's lab, with my research focusing on fresh produce food safety, and later PhD research which focused on hand hygiene and cross contamination. After graduating, I started working in Research and Development as a food safety auditor and research microbiologist at Mondelez International. I was responsible for auditing ingredient suppliers, executing challenge studies, and designing quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs). My QMRA experience led me to join the Revenue Growth Management organization within Mondelez International, specifically focusing on pricing and price pack architecture. In this role I work in a team that aims to create new pack sizes and types to meet consumer needs. I do not know here my career path goes next, but I am excited to find out.
Danielle Dossantos
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Danielle Dossantos
Danielle graduated from Rutgers in 2015 with a B.S. in Food Science. During her undergraduate career she was heavily involved with the Undergraduate Food Science Club, research in Dr. Ludescher's lab, both taking and teaching a Food Science FIGS, and teaching Organic Chemistry for ODASIS. She interned with Mars Chocolate during the summer of her junior year and fell in love with the confectionary industry and the excitement chocolate generates as a celebratory and satisfying treat! She now works as a Product Development Scientist on M&M's innovation. The most exciting part of her job is being able to work with a team of intelligent and diverse people to transform an idea into reality. She finds it extremely rewarding to witness the product scale from the benchtop to the manufacturing plant, and then make it way to the marketplace for consumers to enjoy.
- 2014
Marissa Letinski
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Marissa Letinski
I graduated from Rutgers Food Science (research option) in May 2014. I was president of the Undergraduate Food Science club my senior year and treasure my junior year. I had a summer internship at Ingredion in the summer of 2012 in baker applications group. In the summer of 2013, I was a summer intern in global biscuits at Mondelez International where I worked on BelVita soft for Europe. I was hired for a full-time position at Mondelez after graduation and began working in global gum product development. I have been here for over 3 years in various roles in global gum, working on many brands including Trident, Dentyne and Clorets. I began pursuing my MBS in Food Science at Rutgers part time the fall of 2015 with an anticipated graduation date of January 2019.
- 2003
Jennifer McEntire
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Jennifer McEntire
My career in food safety began as a Rutgers student. As a USDA National Needs Fellow, I was able to spend 7 months in Washington DC as part of my doctoral program. It was eye-opening to learn that science does not always prevail when it comes to policy decisions. Science does not speak for itself, and I wanted to be an advocate for science in the Washington DC arena. I spent the first 8 years of my career at the Institute of Food Technologists before joining a boutique food safety consulting firm and a food industry trade association before landing at United Fresh Produce Association five years ago. I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with many food safety icons, and love being able to work with industry, academia, government and other stakeholders.
- 1993
Laura Rokosz
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