Conference Speakers

Jason C. White, PhD is the Director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, the oldest Agricultural Experiment Station in the country. In addition to managing the agency budget of $14 million and approximately 110 scientific staff, I have a research program of $5.1 million in competitive funding/research.  I am Managing Editor for the International Journal of Phytoremediation, an Associate Editor for NanoImpact and for Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, on the editorial board of Environmental Pollution, and ACS Agricultural Science and Technology, and on the Editorial Advisory Boards of Environmental Science & Technology and Environmental Science & Technology Letters. I am the Immediate Past President of the International Phytotechnology Society. My primary research program focuses food safety and security, with specific interests on the impact of nanomaterials on agricultural plants and on the use of nanoscale materials to increase food production.  My h-index is 87, my i-10 index is 291 and I have published approximately 300 papers that have been cited 26,981 times, as well as 11 book chapters. I am a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, as well as the European Science Foundation College of experts. I am also a Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher, 2020-2023. I received my Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from Cornell University in 1997 and have secondary appointments at the Yale School of Public Health and the University of Massachusetts Stockbridge School of Agriculture. I am also a Commissioned Official of the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA)

Professor Admir Giachini has a Ph.D. in Microbiology (2004) from Oregon State University (USA) and a degree in Agronomy (1995) from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), southern Brazil. He has been working in the fields of Biotechnology, Environmental Remediation and Microbiology, providing effective solutions for various sectors including the industry, agriculture and the environment. From 2000 to 2005, he worked as a consultant for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a branch of the United States Department of the Interior (USDI), on a project evaluating the microbiological diversity of strategic areas in the environmental preservation program of the then Clinton administration. From 2005 to 2009, he served as the general manager of the multinational SBW International (Netherlands), implementing and operating an industrial laboratory for the production of micropropagated plants in Brazil. Currently, he is an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology at UFSC, coordinates the Ressacada Environmental Research Center (rema.ufsc.br) and is an agricultural and environmental consultant for the Brazilian-based company W2S3 Sustainable Technologies (w2s3.com.br), where he provides novelty solutions for a more sustainable production of goods and services.

Upali Samarajeewa, Emeritus Professor in Food Science and Technology, has work experience in Sri Lanka serving in the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya for more than 30 years as a teacher. He was the founder Head of the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of Peradeniya and the key person behind establishing a 4-year degree in Food Science and Technology to strengthen the Agro-food sector.

He has collaborated closely with the scientific community in Sri Lanka serving as the General President of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, General President of the Institute of Chemistry – Ceylon, and founder Chairman of the Sri Lanka Institute of Food Science and Technology, where he continues to assist in voluntary capacity. He was instrumental in setting up the Food Testing Laboratory for the Municipality, Kandy through UNICEF assistance and developing the Microbiology Food Testing Laboratory at Anuradhapura for the Health Ministry under FAO assistance and assisting in accreditation of the pesticide testing laboratory and soil testing laboratory of the Department of Agriculture voluntarily. He conducted a complete assessment on food safety system in Sri Lanka in 2016 with FAO assistance and proposed a national food safety program. He has published more than 225 research papers and communications in food safety in foreign and local journals and fora.

Prof Samarajeewa has worked for more than 35 years in 35 countries as an International Consultant on food safety assisted by UNIDO, FAO, WHO, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Trade Center of UN, and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, engaged in drafting university curricula, establishing accredited food testing laboratories and providing policy guidelines to strengthen food safety, which he continues after retirement from the university. Currently he is committed to work in Uzbekistan. He resides in Canada.

Dr. Amna Sahar is a distinguished academic and researcher in food science and technology, specializing in meat technology, food analysis, and non-destructive analysis techniques. Her academic journey began in Pakistan and continued in France, where she earned a PhD from Agrocampus Ouest Rennes and a Master’s degree from Université de Rennes.

Dr. Sahar has significantly contributed to food safety and quality through her research and teaching at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, where she advanced from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor. Her post-doctoral work at the Teagasc Food Research Centre in Ireland further enriched her expertise. She has mentored numerous MS and PhD students, published over 60 peer-reviewed papers, and actively participated in international conferences. Her work has earned her prestigious awards, including the Best Research Paper Award from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.

Her roles highlight Dr. Sahar’s international contributions as a visiting professor and external evaluator at Artois University, France, and as a research fellow at INTI International University, Malaysia. Her prolific research and dedication to mentoring underscore her commitment to advancing food science and technology globally.

Dr. M. Karthikeyan is an Associate Professor in Plant Pathology and Adjunct Professor, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia,   with a B.Sc. (Hort.) in 1996, M.Sc. (Agri.) in Plant Pathology in 1999, and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 2004 from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. He completed his Post-Doctoral Programme at the University of Turin, Turin, Italy, University of Southern Queensland, Australia and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA. With over 20 years of research experience in conventional and molecular plant pathology, mycotoxin related issues.  Dr. Karthikeyan has received 30 awards at State and National levels. Notable accolades include the Dr. P.C. Sundarababu Prize for the Best Ph.D. thesis, DST-Young Scientist, Young Indian Researcher by the University of Turin, UGC-Research Award, UGC-Raman Fellow, TNAU–Best Researcher Award, Professor MS Swaminathan Best Scientist Award, and ICAR-LASM Award. His scholarly contributions comprise 90+ research papers, 50 book chapters, and 40 books at national and international levels. Dr. Karthikeyan has secured 15 externally funded projects from institutions such as DST, CSIR, UGC, ICAR, TN Govt., and Shastri India-Canadian Institute. A well-traveled professional, Dr. Karthikeyan has visited Singapore, China, the USA, Sri Lanka, Australia, and Italy, fostering international collaboration in Plant Pathology.

Dr. Vasilis Valdramidis (Male) is an Associate Prof at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Department of Chemistry) and visiting Associate Prof at the University of Malta. He holds a Ph.D degree in Chemical Engineering from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium and a primary degree in Agriculture (Food Science and Technology) from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). He undertook research at several EU Institutions, i.e., the Agricultural University of Athens (Greece) in predictive microbiology, the Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute (UK) in non-thermal technologies and food safety, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA -Lille, Saint- Genès Champanelle) (France) in food equipment hygiene, the Dublin Institute of Technology and the University College Dublin (Ireland) in non-thermal technologies and predictive microbiology. He is active in the disciplines of quantitative microbiology, food safety and food preservation. He acted as coordinator in Marie Curie (CIG) and educational Erasmus + projects, while he acts/acted as coordinator PI of UM in several Horizon Europe, H2020 and FP7 projects. He is treasurer of the International Committee on Food Microbiology and Hygiene and member of the International Commission of Food Mycology, while he is currently in the editorial boards of International Journal of Food Microbiology, and Journal of Food Protection.

Prof Asna Urooj, is a Senior Professor at the post- graduate Department of Studies in Food science & Nutrition, University of Mysore, Mysore, India. Her areas of research interest are Diabetes, Starch digestibility & glycemic responses, Natural antioxidants- chemistry and applications, Anti-hyperglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of medicinal plants, Disease specific food formulations and Women’s health and nutritional issues. She has completed 15 research projects funded by UGC, DST, MHRD, ICMR and BBSRC-UK.

She serves as a reviewer and editor for several National and International journals. She has 224 research papers published in peer reviewed journals, with 5607 citations and h-index of 37, i 10-index of 93. 23 candidates have completed PhD, while 7 are working. She is a recipient of the prestigious Dr. Kalpana Chawla State award for young women scientist, Dr Rajammal P. Devadas Memorial Award – for outstanding contributions in the field of applied Nutritional sciences by Nutrition Society of India ,Prof G.S. Bains Lifetime achievement award by Association of Food scientists & Technologists and UGC Mid career award, she has received Young scientist awards and 60 best paper awards. She was the first President of Indian Dietetic Association, Mysore chapter and member of Registered Dietician Board (RD) of Indian Dietetic Association. She has been a member of FSSAI panels on Functional foods and currently in the working group for HFSS  ( High fat, sugar and salt ) FOPL (front of pack labelling) and Nutrition and Fortification . During deputation as Deputy Registrar in the University of Mysore she has been responsible in establishing Human Ethics Committee and IPR cell.