McHugh named director of USDA Western research center
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) has named Tara McHugh center director for its Western Regional Research Center (WRRC). McHugh is the research leader of the Healthy Processed Foods Research Unit at WRRC and has been serving as acting center director since July 2018.
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) has named Tara McHugh center director for its Western Regional Research Center (WRRC). McHugh is the research leader of the Healthy Processed Foods Research Unit at WRRC and has been serving as acting center director since July 2018.
McHugh, who received her PhD from the University of California – Davis in food science, is an expert in innovative food processing, edible films, and nanoscience and a leader in high impact technology transfer. An IFT Fellow, McHugh is also the contributing editor of Food Technology magazine, where she writes a monthly processing column. She has authored 150 peer-reviewed papers and patents, led 15 large grants, presented her research at more than 150 scientific meetings, and has received many awards, including two USDA Secretary Honors Awards, Arthur S. Flemming Award, and three Federal Laboratory Consortium Awards.