Washington State University’s Shyam Sablani Named 2024 IFT Fellow, One of the Highest Honors in the Food Science Community

CHICAGO – June 4, 2024 – The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit scientific organization committed to advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system, is pleased to announce that Shyam Sablani, PhD, Professor of Food Engineering at Washington State University, has been selected as a 2024 IFT Fellow, one of the highest honors bestowed upon a member of the science of food community. Being recognized as an IFT Fellow is a unique professional distinction given to an IFT member who has achieved career excellence in addition to providing significant service and leadership to both IFT and the science of food profession.

Specifically, all nominees must demonstrate professional leadership through leading conferences, presentations, and other training and development programs; service and leadership to external advisory committees or boards; ongoing volunteer service to IFT; honors, awards, and other recognition within the science of food profession, as well as advancements to the science of food in industry, academia, government, or related organizations.

This year’s IFT Fellows will be celebrated at the Fellows Recognition Forum at IFT FIRST: Annual Event and Expo, which is being held July 14-17, 2024, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Only 10 IFT members out of more 11,000 received this prestigious recognition this year.

“The achievements that bring me the most satisfaction are seeing students succeed academically and achieve their career and life goals as well as seeing engineering creations find practical application in the real world,” said Sablani of the professional accomplishments that helped him receive this distinction.

Sablani joined Washington State University in 2007 as an Assistant Professor while also serving as an Associate Department Chair and Interim Chair of WSU’s Department of Biological Systems Engineering. His research at WSU focuses on innovative packaging solutions to improve food safety and quality. Before joining WSU, he was an Associate Professor at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman. He is a recipient of the 2021 Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award, as well as IFT’s Collaborative Research Grant in honor of Marcel Loncin, where he received $50,000 to support a research project.

He received his undergraduate degree from the National Institute of Technology Raipur in Chhattisgarh, India, before earning his Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in Chennai, India. He went on to receive his PhD in Food Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Sablani is a member of the Cascadia Section of IFT. He currently resides in Pullman, Washington.

View the 2024 IFT Fellows.

About Institute of Food Technologists

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a global organization of over 11,000 individual members from more than 90 countries committed to advancing the science of food. Since 1939, IFT has brought together the brightest minds in food science, technology and related professions from academia, government, and industry to solve the world’s greatest food challenges. IFT works to ensure that its members have the resources they need to learn, grow, and innovate to advance the science of food as the population and the world evolve. IFT believes that science and innovation is essential to ensuring a global food supply that is sustainable, safe, nutritious, and accessible to all. For more information, please visit ift.org.

Media Contact

Dennis Van Milligen
Director, Public and Media Relations
Institute of Food Technologists
630-853-3022
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