The Scientific Council (SC) is an IUFoST Standing Committee. It is an elected body whose members are all Fellows nominated by other Academy Fellows and elected by the voting delegates of the National Scientific Bodies (Adhering Bodies).
The purpose of the Scientific Council is to advise on opportunities of scientific activity for IUFoST in keeping with the Union’s vision and mission and to oversee the scientific output of the Union. Its responsibilities include maintenance of the scientific standard and integrity of all IUFoST activities. It is also responsible for recommendations of chairs and members of working groups, task forces to carry out specific tasks such as preparation of position papers and offering of expert advice as requested.
Members of the IUFoST Scientific Council, 2024-2026
Dr. Lilia Ahrne
Denmark
Chair
LILIA AHRNÉ - DENMARK, Scientific Council Chair
Prof. Lilia Ahrné is Professor in Dairy Process Technology at University of Copenhagen. She has PhD in food engineering from the School of Biotechnology at the Catholic University of Portugal with an internership at University of California Davis. In 1994, she moved to Sweden with an EU fellowship from the FP5 (Air Mobility) to perform a one year PostDoc project hosted by Tetra Pak Processing Systems in collaboration with Lund University. After working for Tetra Pak, she joined SIK- The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology, now part of RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden, and for 10 years, she was the director of Process and Technology Development department and adjunct Professor in Food Technology at Chalmers University of Technology. She has been president of EFFoST (European Federation of Food Science and Technology) and led the Food Science Sweden, a collaborative platform financed by the major Swedish food research actors. She has been member of the National Committee Food Sciences of The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) and member of the Expert Group on FOOD 2030 for the European Commission R&I Directorate F. Her research interests are to understand the effect of processing on physical, chemical and structural characteristics of foods, and use this knowledge to develop new processes. She is a Fellow of IAFoST.
Dr. P. G. Rao
India
Chair Elect
P. G. RAO - INDIA, Scientific Council Chair Elect
Dr Rao occupied various Scientist positions in CSIR Institutes, before attaining the position of Director at North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, India. Subsequently, he was CSIR-Distinguished Scientist. Dr Rao’s significant contributions were in the area of process development and providing engineering packages to Chemical, Leather, Food and Allied Industries during his professional career. Dr Rao has more than 165 publications in peer reviewed international and National journals, 70 papers presented in national and international seminars, proceedings, 21 patents, 3 copy rights, 2 books and 10 chapters in books to his credit. Dr Rao is Fellow of several Academies including IAFoST.
Dr Rao was key member of the organizational committee for the IUFoST World Congress 2018 in Mumbai, India and was also Scientific Chair for the congress, through which he had exposure to the international scientific community of the Food Science & Technology. Dr Rao has played a key role in organizing nearly 80 scientific sessions and 30 Plenary Talks, Keynote and Valedictory Lectures with the interaction of professionals in Food Science & Technology globally relevant to IUFoST. Dr. Rao is a Fellow of IAFoST.
Dr. Hongda Chen
USA
Immediate Past Chair
HONGDA CHEN - USA, Scientific Council Immediate Past Chair
Dr. Hongda Chen is the National Program Leader of Bioprocess Engineering and Nanotechnology at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA. He leads the national portfolio of food science, engineering and technology in research, education and extension for advancing food processing and manufacturing technologies, and value-added products. He also provides the national leadership for nanoscale science and nanotechnology for agriculture and food systems. Dr. Chen is a Fellow of IAFoST.
Dr. Hosahalli Ramswamy
Canada
Councillor
Ramaswamy's early research led to the demonstration of heat transfer distribution, thermal processing , high pressure processing, Pulse light technology etc. He contributed to the establishment of pilot plant for hgh pressure processing and thermal processing. He is the editor of Food Engineering an international journal for the past 8 years. . He is the editor of several books, and has published 400 peer-reviewed scientific papers,[7] His work has been cited over 6000 times, with his H-index being 34. He is the recipient of numerous awards. including 2014 Hind Rattan (translated to English as "Jewel of India") award by Government of India and 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Association of Engineering and Food. He is a fellow of IAFoST and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Dr. Roger Clemens
USA
Councillor
ROGER CLEMENS - USA, Scientific Council Councillor
Dr. Roger Clemens, is an adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences at USC’s School of Pharmacy as well as Assistant Professor of Regulatory and Quality Sciences. He has also served as a Scientific Advisor for Nestlé USA. Dr. Clemens is an elected Fellow for the American Society for Nutrition, American College of Nutrition, Institute of Food Technologists, and International Academy of Food Science and Technology. He serves on several editorial boards such as Food Chemical Toxicology, Journal of Food Science, and Journal of Dietary Supplements.
