2025 IFT Achievement Award Winners

Humanitarian Award for Service to the Science of Food in honor of Elizabeth Fleming Stier
Purnendu C. Vasavada, PhD

Purnendu Vasavada is Professor Emeritus of Food Science at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and managing member of PCV & Associates, LLC. He is an internationally recognized leader in food safety and microbiology, including rapid methods and automation. After retiring from UW–River Falls, he served as an FDA-ORISE Fellow and played a pivotal role in establishing the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA). He has authored over 100 publications and received numerous awards including the NSF Food Safety Leadership Award (2016), GMA Food Safety Award (2012), and fellowships from IFT (2009), IAFP (2010), and IAFoST (2016). He also received the Carl R. Fellers Phi Tau Sigma/IFT Distinguished Career Award in 2022 and continues to provide leadership through education and training programs globally.

Outstanding Partnership Award in honor of Myron Solberg
Robert Gravani, PhD, CFS

Robert Gravani is Professor Emeritus of Food Science at Cornell University, where he was actively engaged in extension, outreach, teaching, and research. A graduate of Rutgers University (B.S.) and Cornell University (M.S., Ph.D.), Bob credits his early mentors—including Drs. Elizabeth Stier, Myron Solberg, and Robert Baker—with inspiring his lifelong dedication to food safety education. Known for building strong partnerships across academia, government, NGOs, and the food industry, he helped lead collaborative efforts such as a 30+ year partnership with a state regulatory agency and the development of the National Good Agricultural Practices program with colleagues from 26 Land Grant Institutions. A Past President, Past Treasurer, and Fellow of IFT, Bob has received numerous awards recognizing his contributions to teaching, outreach, and the profession.

Distinguished Career Award in honor of Carl R. Fellers
Martha Cassens, M.S.

Martha Cassens, M.S., is Vice President of Product Innovation, Development, and Quality at ACH Food Companies. With deep expertise in food research, quality assurance, and packaging development, Martha has led the creation of more than 400 innovative food products. Her work includes pioneering the use of carrageenan as a fat replacer in deli meat, extending the shelf life of healthy tray-packed ground beef, and developing top-selling products like Jimmy Dean Delights Sandwiches. She also holds 11 patents and has driven up to $35 million in annual cost savings for her employers. A Fellow of IFT, she has received several prestigious honors, including the American Meat Science Association Distinguished Achievement Award and the IFT Meat Processing Award.

Excellence in Education Award in honor of William V. Cruess
Kanika Bhargava, PhD, CFS

Kanika Bhargava is a professor at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), where she founded the graduate Food Science program and built a food science specialization that now serves approximately 150 students. She holds a Ph.D. in Nutrition and Food Science from Wayne State University and has expertise in food safety, processing, and preservation. Dr. Bhargava has led multiple USDA and NIH-funded research initiatives and created a fully online graduate certificate in food safety and quality management. An active member of IFT, she serves as Chair of the Quality Assurance Division and the Oklahoma Section, and as a CFS Commissioner. She is also a dedicated mentor, advisor to IFTSA-UCO, and a lifetime member of Phi Tau Sigma. Inspired by her family, she leads with heart, balancing her roles as a mother, educator, and researcher.

Sensory & Consumer Sciences Achievement Award
David Lundahl, PhD

David Lundahl is CEO and Founder of InsightsNow, Inc. and an industry leader in sensory and consumer science. He holds an M.S. in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from Oregon State University. His career spans academia and industry, including roles at Frito-Lay, Brown-Forman, and as Associate Professor at OSU. Dave is a published author of the book Breakthrough Food Product Innovation Through Emotions Research and numerous journal articles, and he is a frequent speaker at conferences such as IFT FIRST and Pangborn. A former Chair of IFT’s Sensory & Consumer Science Division, he has pioneered behavioral research methods and clean label design approaches that continue to shape product development and innovation strategies.

International Food Security Award in honor of Bor S. Luh
Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, PhD, CFS

Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Distinguished Professor and Klingbeil Endowed Department Head of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at South Dakota State University, is an international leader in food and bioprocess engineering. He has led more than $20 million in research projects and mentored over 85 undergraduate and graduate students. With over 250 peer-reviewed publications and more than 350 presentations globally, his work has advanced national and international food processing standards. Dr. Muthukumarappan has held leadership roles across IFT Sections and Divisions, contributed to multiple ASABE standards, and currently serves as Energy Systems Community Editor for the Journal of the ASABE. His many accolades include the 2025 IFT International Food Security Award, 2012 ASABE Fellow Award, and multiple distinguished faculty awards from SDSU.

Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of Nicolas Appert
Levente Diosady, PhD, P.Eng.

Levente L. Diosady is Professor Emeritus of Food Engineering in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. His current research interests include food fortification, oilseed, and protein processing. He is the author of over 250 refereed publications and holds 22 patents. He has supervised more than 100 graduate students, 17 of whom are now professors across four continents. Dr. Diosady led the development of technology for fortifying salt with iron and iodine to prevent micronutrient deficiency diseases affecting more than two billion people. In a large-scale pilot study in India, approximately 60 million consumers received double-fortified salt for 18 months, resulting in a 20% increase in the iron status of women. Salt fortified with iron, zinc, iodine, and B vitamins—shown to reduce birth defects—has also been successfully tested in Tanzania and India. He is a Fellow of seven scientific societies and the recipient of numerous honors, including the Babcock-Hart Award, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit. He is a member of the Order of Ontario and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Outstanding Young Scientist Award in honor of Samuel Cate Prescott
Prateek Sharma, PhD

Prateek Sharma is an Associate Professor of Dairy Technology and Director of the Western Dairy Center in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences at Utah State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Food Technology from the Riddet Institute, Massey University (New Zealand), and a master’s degree from Technical University Dublin (Ireland). Dr. Sharma is an experienced dairy foods scientist with more than 17 years of research experience across commercial and institutional R&D environments. His work spans multinational settings including Ireland, New Zealand, and India, covering product portfolios such as cheese, whey ingredients, UHT products, and liquid emulsions. At Utah State, he established a robust research program focused on the material and rheological properties of dairy foods, structure-function relationships in cheese and powders, and advanced analytical techniques. He is a recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the ADSA Foundation Scholar Award, Marie-Curie Career-FIT Fellowship, Erasmus Mundus Scholarship, and the William C. Winder and Rebecca Steward Winder Professorship Award. Dr. Sharma also serves on several scientific committees for IFT and ADSA.

Achievements in Microbial Research for Food Safety in honor of Gerhard J. Haas
Meijun Zhu, PhD

Meijun Zhu is a Professor of Food Safety in the School of Food Science at Washington State University. She holds a Doctor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from China Agricultural University and a Ph.D. in Meat Science and Food Microbiology from Iowa State University. Dr. Zhu integrates traditional and next-generation technologies to address urgent food safety challenges, with her research primarily focused on controlling foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella throughout the food production and processing chain. She collaborates closely with the fresh produce industry to advance the application of innovative pathogen control technologies. Her team’s research has contributed significantly to both industry practices and public health. She currently serves as a Subject Matter Expert for the U.S. Apple Association. Her program is funded by USDA, NIH, national produce safety initiatives, and industry partners. Dr. Zhu has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers and serves on editorial boards of several international scientific journals.

Research & Development Award
Fidel Toldrá

Fidel Toldrá is a Research Professor at the Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (CSIC) in Valencia, Spain. His research centers on food chemistry and sustainable food processing. He served for 13 years on the Scientific Panels of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), where he chaired working groups on irradiation, processing aids, and enzymes. He has also contributed to FAO/WHO expert panels assessing chlorine-based disinfectants in food. Dr. Toldrá currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Trends in Food Science & Technology and Editor of the Advances in Food & Nutrition Research book series. He is a Fellow of IFT, the International Academy of Food Science and Technology, the Agricultural & Food Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the International Association of Advanced Materials. His accolades include the International Prize for Meat Science and Technology, DuPont Science Award, Distinguished Research Award, Meat Processing Award, and the Award on Advancement of Application of Agricultural and Food Chemistry from ACS.

Distinguished Service Award in honor of Calvert L. Willey
Mark Barenie, CPA, CAE

Mark Barenie, CPA, CAE, graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Mark has been with the IFT Finance team for 32 years and his current position is Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer. During Mark’s career at IFT he has held many financial positions. Some highlights include reserve funds growing from $10M to $44M; assets grew from $15M to $55M and the operating budget grew from $10M to $28M. Over Mark’s career IFT has had 32 years of clean, unqualified opinions from annual outside audits. During the pandemic Mark played an integral role in maintaining IFT’s financial strength. Through Mark’s leadership IFT was able to secure insurance proceeds of $17M and an additional $4.3M in government grants and related credits. This resulted in an increase in IFT reserves of over $21M over a 3-year period. Mark will be retiring from IFT this summer and has thoroughly enjoyed working with IFT volunteers and staff over his entire career. Mark plans to spend more time with his family along with playing competitive golf and pickleball for many years to come.

IFT Achievement Awards Categories

The IFT Achievement Awards recognize individuals and organizations in a variety of areas of the science of food, including lifetime achievement, advocacy, research and development, innovation, international support for developing countries.

Select the category that interests you to find specific information about each award, including the individual award's criteria and eligibility requirements.