Lab Members
Tadesse Fikre Teferra is a former Aggie (class of 2019), who completed grad school (PhD) in Food Science and Technology under the supervision of Dr. Joseph Awika (Cereal Quality Lab (CQL)). After grad school, Tadesse went back to Africa to serve as a faculty at Hawassa University (Ethiopia). He came back to Aggieland as a Postdoctoral Research Associate under Dr. Awika with the Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture (IHA). Tadesse’s postdoctoral research focuses on the fate of polyphenols in the human body and he is currently working to develop a working method for the analysis of bioactive compounds and their metabolites in human excreta.
Toyosi is from Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria. He obtained a Bachelor of Technology degree in Food Science from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomoso, Nigeria in 2015 and a MS in Food Science and Technology from Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Western Cape, South Africa in 2021. He is currently a PhD student and Research Assistant under Dr. Joseph Awika. His research goal is to understand the mechanism of stability and interaction of 3-Deoxyanthocyanins polysaccharide complexes with polymeric tannins.
Chen is from Handan, China. She earned her B.S. in Food Quality and Safety from Northeast Agricultural University in 2017 and her M.S. in Food Science from Zhejiang University in 2020. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Food Science and Technology under Dr. Joseph Awika. Her research focuses on Proanthocyanidins and pulse protein interactions and their effect on protein functionality.
Gabrielle is from Dallas, TX and graduated from Texas Woman’s University in 2020 with a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.S. in Food and Nutrition in Business and Industry. She is now a Research Assistant and PhD student under Dr. Joseph Awika. She studies starch-protein interactions in sorghum and their effect on functionality and product outcomes, with the goal of expanding the use of sustainable grains
Cyprian, is from Nairobi, Kenya. He earned his B.S. in Food Science and Technology, 2015 and MS Food Science from Egerton University (Kenya) in 2019 under Dr. Joseph Anyango.
He is currently working toward his doctoral degree in Food Science and Technology under Dr. Joseph Awika. His research is focussed on understanding the effect of polyphenol on Maillard reaction products formation in whole grain based products, with the goal of improving the acceptability of whole/fortified whole grain based products.
Fariha is from Pakistan. She earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Agriculture, Pakistan, 2014, her M.S in Food and Nutrition in 2016 under Dr. Frank Hons, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Food Science and Technology under the supervision of Dr. Joseph Awika and Dr. Mian Riaz. Her M.S. research on antioxidant potential of seeds for use in herbal products is focused on the determination of hypoglycemic impact of Nigella sativa and Trachyspermum ammi in diabetic patients.
Emma is from Dallas, Texas. She earned her B.S. in Food Science & Industry from Kansas State University in May 2023. She is currently working on her masters in food science & technology under Dr. Joseph Awika.
Evans Wanyama is from Nairobi, Kenya. He got M.S. in Food Science from the University of Reading, UK in 2017 and B.S. in Food Science and Technology, from Egerton University, Kenya in 2013. He has notable experience working in various Food Industries in Kenya. He is currently working towards his PhD in Food Science and Technology under Dr. Joseph Awika.
