Contact: Kasia Haupt
A Mississippi State University professor of food science and technology is leading a major unit of a Chicago-based international professional association.
Douglas L. Marshall is the new chair of the Institute of Food Technologists' food microbiology division. He will be responsible for programming that reflects the organization's interests and goals, and articulating policies to national and international audiences.
With a worldwide membership of 28,000, IFT is the largest organization for professionals working in food science, food technology and related professions in industry, academia and government. The more than 1,400 members in its food microbiology division are focused on areas in which bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and parasites play a role.
At Mississippi State, Marshall has concentrated his research in the areas of marine and aquaculture seafood. He recently has been working to develop methods for rapidly detecting food-borne pathogens in muscle foods.
Marshall has served on the executive board of the Journal of Food Protection for four consecutive years and is a contributing editor for the journal Food Microbiology. Over his career, he has provided more than 170 contributions to scientific research literature.
He also has been a frequent consultant to such national agencies as the National Institutes of Health, U.S. departments of Agriculture and Commerce, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, and the World Health Organization, among others. Additionally, he serves as a food safety consultant to private industry.
While at MSU, Marshall has been honored with the 2002 Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award and 1999 Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station/Mississippi Chemical Corp. Award of Excellence for Outstanding Work. He also has been recognized with the 2002 International Association for Food Protection Educator Award.