Climate change is already affecting the areal extent of some human and livestock diseases and parasites and how they spread, and this is expected to intensify. Decreased access to clean water and healthy food poses health risks. We are making gains in food safety and learning more about the microbiome that we can use to promote health.

Faculty Working in this Area

  • Associate Research Professor
  • Extension Veterinarian

Areas of Expertise

  • Transition cow management
  • Dairy cattle reproduction
  • Farm personnel training and performance
  • Dairy production medicine
  • Cow comfort
  • Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Biology
  • J. Lloyd & Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair of Epidemiology
  • Assistant Research Professor

Areas of Expertise

  • Honey bees
  • Managed solitary bees
  • Crop pollination
  • Pollinator Ecology
  • Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management
  • Meat Extension Specialist
  • Associate Professor - Animal Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Processed Meats
  • Food Safety
  • Thermal Processing & Smoking
  • Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Systems
  • Distinguished Professor of Molecular Immunology

Areas of Expertise

  • Host resistance to infection
  • Immune-mediated diseases: multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease
  • T cells
  • Gastrointestinal microbiota; Gnotobiotics
  • Vitamins A & D regulation of immune function
  • Edible mushrooms
  • Selenium
  • Assistant Professor of Food Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Human Gut Microbiome
  • Carbohydrate Active Enzymes
  • Dietary Fiber
  • Resistant Starch
  • Professor of Food Science
  • Assistant Director of Food Safety & Quality Programs
  • Food Safety Extension Specialist - Muscle Foods

Areas of Expertise

  • Food safety
  • Food microbiology
  • Foodborne pathogens
  • Antimicrobials
  • Edible films
  • Spoilage
  • Meat, poultry, seafood, muscle foods
  • HACCP
  • Sanitation
  • Associate Professor of Reproductive Biology

Areas of Expertise

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Nutrition and Reproduction
  • Ovarian Function
  • Oocyte Development
  • Director of E. coli Reference Center
  • Professor of Food Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Microbiology
  • Microbial pathogens
  • Molecular microbiology
  • Microbial genomics
  • Food Safety
  • Food Microbiology
  • Professor and Associate Head of Food Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Food chemistry
  • Enology
  • Wine oxidation
  • Hop chemistry
  • Antioxidants
  • Lipid oxidation
  • Professor of Agricultural Engineering
  • Environmental Biophysics, Animal Welfare, and Agricultural Emissions
  • Integrated Research and Extension Programs

Areas of Expertise

  • Air quality in indoor agriculture (barns, poultry houses)
  • Heating and Ventilation system design, principles and practice
  • Horse facility engineering (stables, riding arenas)
  • Farm animal welfare
  • Agricultural air emissions (gas, odor, particulates)
  • Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics

Areas of Expertise

  • Food Policy
  • Health Economics
  • Assistant Professor of Food Animal Microbiomes

Areas of Expertise

  • Microbiome
  • Epidemiology
  • Food Production Systems
  • Antimicrobial Resistance
  • Dairy Cattle
  • Mastitis
  • Animal Health and Productivity
  • Professor of Molecular Toxicology and Carcinogenesis
  • Associate Chair, Molecular Cellular and Integrative Biosciences Graduate Program
  • Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology
  • Director, Center for Pollinator Research, Insect Biodiversity Center

Areas of Expertise

  • Bees
  • Genomics, Immunity, Behavior, Physiology, Ecology
  • Decision Support Tools
  • Technology for Identification and Monitoring of Insects
  • Assistant Professor
  • Dr. Frances Keesler Graham Early Career Professor

Areas of Expertise

  • Genomics
  • Human Genetics
  • Exposome
  • Genetic Interactions (Epistasis)
  • Gene-Environment Interactions
  • Complex Disease
  • Precision Medicine
  • Biomedical Informatics
  • Metabolomics
  • Professor of Immunology
  • Immunology and Infectious Disease Undergraduate Advisor

Areas of Expertise

  • Regulation of innate immunity, hematopoiesis and cellular transformation by receptor tyrosine kinases.
  • Professor of Food Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Dairy Processing
  • Food Rheology
  • Food Engineering
  • Professor of Food Science
  • Director, Sensory Evaluation Center

Areas of Expertise

  • Sensory science
  • Human psychophysics
  • Taste biology
  • Drug delivery systems
  • Food choice
  • Ingestive behavior
  • Consumer acceptability
  • Associate Professor of Biology and Entomology

Areas of Expertise

  • Systematics & Biodiversity
  • Evolutionary Genetics
  • Genomics
  • Development
  • Pollinator Biology
  • Hymenoptera
  • Bumble bees
  • Professor of Entomology
  • Center for Chemical Ecology
  • Center for Pollinator Research
  • Insect Biodiversity Center

Areas of Expertise

  • Biology and ecology of invasive species
  • Insect-microbial symbiosis
  • Tritrophic interactions
  • Insect virology
  • Pollination of forest trees
  • Associate Professor of Food Science
  • Program Chair, Graduate Certificate Sensory & Consumer Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Sensory & Consumer Science
  • Flavor Chemistry & Flavor Biochemistry
  • Sensometrics
  • Sensory-assisted Breeding
  • Trace Analysis
  • Food Packaging
  • Clinical Professor & Extension Veterinarian
  • Resident Director, Animal Diagnostic Lab
  • Veterinary Extension Team Leader

Areas of Expertise

  • Epidemiology
  • Biosecurity and Infectious Disease Management
  • Bovine Hoof Health, Mastitis, Milk Quality & Milking Equipment
  • Johne's Disease
  • On-farm Food Safety
  • Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Global Food Security
  • Professor of Agricultural Economics

Areas of Expertise

  • Economic modeling of food purchase behavior
  • Link between food behavior and health
  • Retail food product offerings and prices
  • Organic food and agriculture
  • Professor of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
  • Associate Director for Strategic Initiative, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

Areas of Expertise

  • Microbial pathogenomics and molecular epidemiology. 
  • Associate Research Professor

Areas of Expertise

  • Dairy Food Processing & Quality
  • Dairy Food Safety
  • Sensory Analysis of Dairy Products
  • Artisanal Cheese
  • Value-Added Dairy Products
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences and Food Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Leveraging the food industry to improve child nutrition
  • Improving the palatability of foods targeted at children
  • Assistant Professor

Areas of Expertise

  • Metabolomics
  • Natural Product Chemistry
  • Bioinformatics
  • Antimicrobial Drug Discovery
  • Ethnobotany and Indigenous Knowledge
  • Plant-associated Microbiomes
  • Botanical Dietary Supplements
  • Toxicology
  • Associate Professor

Areas of Expertise

  • Immunologic mechanisms of Bordetella
  • Pathogenesis of Francisella tularensis
  • Host-pathogen interactions
  • Development of BSL-3 research programs
  • Lester Earl and Veronica Casida Career Development Professor of Food Safety
  • Associate Professor of Food Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Microbial Food Safety
  • Foodborne Pathogens
  • Genomic Epidemiology
  • Microbiomes in Food Systems
  • Antimicrobial Resistance
  • Professor of Food Science and Extension Specialist

Areas of Expertise

  • Tracking Listeria monocytogenes in produce production and processing environments
  • Food safety validation of mushroom growing, packing, and processing.
  • L. monocytogenes in tree fruit packinghouses.
  • Farm food safety (Good Agricultural Practices) training
  • Hazards Analysis and Risk Based Preventive Controls training
  • Technical assistance to home and commercial food processors
  • Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
  • Professor of Food Science
  • Co-Director, Center for Plant and Mushroom Foods for Health

Areas of Expertise

  • Cancer Prevention by Dietary Components
  • Obesity and Inflammation Prevention by Dietary Components
  • Food Toxicology
  • Bioavailability and Biotransformation of Dietary Components
  • Natural Products Chemistry
  • Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics

Areas of Expertise

  • Food Marketing
  • Food and Energy Policy
  • Energy Economics
  • Industrial Organization
  • Applied Econometrics
  • Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor
  • Associate Professor of Entomology
  • Associate Professor of Entomology

Areas of Expertise

  • Veterinary Entomology
  • Tick ecology and control
  • Filth fly management and behavior
  • Wildlife entomology
  • Arthropod behavior
  • Associate Professor of Meat Science
  • Undergraduate Adviser
  • Professor of Reproductive Physiology
  • C. Lee Rumberger and Family Chair in Agricultural Sciences
  • Acting Director, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

Areas of Expertise

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Assisted Reproductive Technologies
  • Animal Science
  • Dairy production
  • Agricultural Biotechnology
  • Agricultural Sustainability
  • Graduate Training
  • Undergraduate Instruction
  • Professor of Reproductive Physiology

Areas of Expertise

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Reproductive Immunology
  • Ovarian Function
  • John T. and Paige S. Smith Professorship
  • Professor of Molecular Toxicology
  • Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Areas of Expertise

  • Metabolomics
  • Microbiome
  • Drug Metabolism
  • Metabolism
  • Environmental Contaminants
  • Professor of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences

Areas of Expertise

  • Hematology
  • Erythropoiesis
  • Anemia Research
  • Leukemia
  • H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Agricultural Sciences

Areas of Expertise

  • microbiome
  • aryl hydrocarbon receptor
  • dioxin
  • drug metabolism
  • toxicology
  • transcriptional regulation
  • Distinguished Professor of Molecular Toxicology & Carcinogenesis
  • Deputy Director, The Penn State Cancer Institute

Areas of Expertise

  • Molecular toxicology and carcinogenesis
  • Nuclear receptors
  • Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors
  • Cancer
  • Lipid metabolism
  • Department Head
  • Professor of Immunology and Molecular Toxicology

Areas of Expertise

  • Redox biology with an emphasis on selenium and selenoproteins
  • Macrophage biology- emphasis on inflammation and resolution
  • Endogenous bioactive lipid mediators
  • Cancer (leukemia) and leukemia stem cells
  • Redox control of stress erythropoiesis during inflammation
  • Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Endowed Chair in Disease Epidemiology and Biotechnology

Areas of Expertise

  • Wolbachia
  • Symbiosis
  • Genetically-modified organisms
  • Vector-borne disease
  • Densovirus
  • Population biology
  • aquaporins
  • Interim Senior Vice President for Research
  • Evan Pugh University Professor of Biology and Entomology
  • Professor and Head of Food Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Microbiology
  • Dairy Products Processing
  • Ice Cream
  • Yogurt
  • Non-dairy Frozen Desserts
  • Professor of Molecular Virology
  • Director, Pathobiology Graduate Program

Areas of Expertise

  • Virology
  • Infectious Disease
  • Viral Budding
  • Cellular Trafficking
  • Virus-like Particles
  • Zoonoses
  • Assistant Clinical Professor
  • Extension Veterinarian
  • Associate Professor of Equine Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Nutritional Influences on Growth and Development
  • Mammalian Patterns of Growth
  • Dietary Energy Sources Impact on Metabolism
  • Gastrointestinal Permeability
  • Gastrointestinal Health and Inflammation
  • Grazing Strategies for Horse Health and Performance
  • Equine Pasture and Manure Management Practices
  • Assistant Professor of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences

Areas of Expertise

  • Animal models of influenza
  • Airborne transmission of influenza viruses
  • Evolution of pandemic influenza viruses
  • Highly pathogenic avian influenza
  • Development of live-attenuated influenza vaccine platforms
  • High containment BSL3+ research
  • Professor of Molecular Toxicology
  • Pharmacology & Toxicology Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Areas of Expertise

  • Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Nuclear receptors
  • Molecular Nutrition
  • Drug Discovery
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  • Assistant Professor of Food Science

Areas of Expertise

  • Food mycology
  • Mycotoxins
  • Toxicology
  • Genotype-phenotype interaction
  • Nutritional immunology
  • Distinguished Professor of Food Science
  • Director of Graduate Studies

Areas of Expertise

  • Food process engineering
  • Food materials science
  • Biopolymers
  • Chocolate and confectionery

Office for Research and Graduate Education

Address

217 Agricultural Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802-2600

Office for Research and Graduate Education

Address

217 Agricultural Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802-2600