IFT Brings Us Together

At IFT FIRST in July, we recognized Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of Nicolas Appert. As the director of the Riddet Institute, based at Massey University in New Zealand, Dr. Singh’s leadership has contributed to the creation and advancement of new multidisciplinary alliances, most notably between food and nutritional sciences.

When asked why multidisciplinary collaboration is critically important to advance food systems globally, Dr. Singh shared, “Our food system is highly complex, with interconnected issues such as malnutrition, food insecurity, and unsustainable production practices. Addressing these challenges requires holistic solutions and the collaboration of experts from various disciplines and sectors, including agriculture, food science, nutrition, social sciences, engineering, and now, of course, information technology.”

I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Singh. The global food system is at a pivotal moment, undergoing rapid transformation in response to unprecedented challenges and disruptions. Developing meaningful solutions to these complex issues hinges on collaborations and partnerships.

That’s where IFT must lead.

The global food system is at a pivotal moment, undergoing rapid transformation in response to unprecedented challenges and disruptions.

Christopher R. Daubert

President, IFT

As a global scientific community, IFT brings us together. It is an essential place and community, a safe harbor that nurtures the collaborations needed to tackle the challenges we face today, and new ones yet to come.

I am honored to have the opportunity to work closely with the IFT Board of Directors and staff to sharpen our focus and positively impact scientists, researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Fostering scientific partnerships to bolster a global food systems philosophy for IFT is among the many reasons it is a privilege to serve as the 2024–2025 board president.

Building on its rich 85-year history, IFT is embracing its role as a convener, advocate, and connector for the global food system. We are committed to bringing our food system community together and empowering them to solve the world’s food challenges. We remain steadfastly committed to extending our reach among companies, universities, and governments worldwide. We are elevating the central role of food science in global food and nutrition security, food safety, and sustainable food systems. We are sharing the critical impact of this community’s work with anyone and everyone who will listen.

While this is all mission-critical, for me, it always comes back to our incredible community.

As a graduate student at Michigan State University, I had a professor who was very engaged with the food engineering community and involved with IFT’s Food Engineering Division. He encouraged me to present my research at the IFT Annual Event, which opened the door for me to share my work and receive critical feedback beyond my professors and classmates. It also provided an opportunity to connect with esteemed scholars and peers whom I might not have interacted with otherwise. I still consider many of them friends to this day. It wasn’t long before I realized that IFT was the place to be, not just to experience the food engineering community but also to engage with people working in other food science disciplines.

During my brief exposure to industry and later when I transitioned to academia, IFT has proven to be an indispensable source of multidisciplinary perspectives, diverse thinking, and inspiration again and again. IFT has remained a constant. It has been a place to connect with colleagues, friends, and mentors who share my passion for the food sciences. Over the years, IFT has enabled me to forge partnerships with peers across industry, academia, government, and beyond.

IFT also provides a welcoming environment and unique opportunities for students pursuing degrees in the food sciences, which was beneficial for me and many of my colleagues and fellow board members as we were launching our careers. This commitment to students remains especially important to me, considering my role as the vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri.

As we embark on the year together, I appreciate the opportunity to share some of my personal experiences with you. I look forward to continuing to share real stories from our community about how IFT is fulfilling its mission—connecting global food system communities to promote and advance the food sciences.

If you have a meaningful experience you’d like to share, send me a note at president@ift.org. Or better yet, share it on LinkedIn or X (formerly known as Twitter) with #IFTCelebrates.

I look forward to sharing your achievements and the positive outcomes we gain by coming together as a community in the months ahead.ft