Rosalee Hellberg is an Associate Professor in the Food Science Program at Chapman University. She teaches several courses, including Food Fraud, Food Microbiology, and Food Industry Tour. Dr. Hellberg received an M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University, where she studied seafood safety and fish mislabeling. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the FDA working on the development and optimization of DNA-based methods for the detection of food pathogens and food mislabeling. Dr. Hellberg received the 2024-2025 Award in Mentorship of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity from Chapman University. In her free time, she enjoys jogging, doing yoga, and spending time with her family.
Jennifer McCoy Sanders is a Research Associate in the Food Protection Lab. She completed her Master’s in Food Science at Chapman University and her BA in English at California State University, Fullerton. Her research is focused on the disinfection of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) on food contact surfaces using the Contamination Sanitation Inspection and Disinfection (CSI-D) system. In her free time, Jen enjoys cooking, being outdoors, and spending time with her wife and their pups.
Ghana Tirpude is pursuing a discipline change from the field of business to MS in Food Science at Chapman University. She has completed her MA in Marketing and Innovation from Anglia Ruskin University, UK and has experience working as a Business Consultant specializing in Branding and Organizational Management for over 10 years. At Chapman University her research will focus on studying the applications of Contamination Sanitation Inspection and Disinfection (CSI-D) system to disinfect food pathogens on various food contact surfaces. In her free time, she volunteers at her family’s NGO in India. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and hosting dinner parties and going on long drives and walks to unwind
Gary Maloncon is a graduate student at Chapman University working towards his M.S. in Food Science. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with an emphasis in Molecular Biology also from Chapman University. His thesis is focused on the use of the CSID system for the deactivation of Listeria on food contact surfaces. In his free time, he enjoys family time, hiking, music, watching movies/anime, and learning naval history.
Tatiana Padgett is a graduate student pursuing her M.S. in Food Science at Chapman University. She received her B.S. From California State University, Long Beach in Nutrition and Dietetics with a minor in Food Science. Her research is focused on chemical and DNA-based methods of authentication for ginseng supplements. In her free time, she enjoys being active through hiking and long walks in nature, martial arts, kayaking, dancing, and nail art for some creativity.
Celina Garcia is a graduate student at Chapman University pursuing her M.S. in Food Science. She completed her B.S. in Nutritional Science with an emphasis in Food Science from California State University, Los Angeles. Her research will focus on the DNA-based identification of rockfish species. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking, listening to live music, trying new foods, and spending time with friends and family.
Chloe Castanon is an undergraduate student pursuing her BS in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry at Chapman University. Her research focuses on optimizing methods of species identification in commercial canned tuna products. In her free time she enjoys playing tennis with friends and painting.
Akshay Khetrapal is an undergraduate student studying Biology at Chapman University. His research focuses on optimizing methods of species identification in commercial canned tuna products. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and hiking.
Grace Cho is an undergraduate pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Chapman University. Her research focuses on inactivating Salmonella on Food Contact Surfaces using the Contamination Sanitization Inspection-Disinfection (CSI-D) System. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano.
Hanna Ama is an undergraduate student studying biology at Citrus College. His research focuses on optimizing the mini-barcoding process for commercial canned tuna. In his free time, he enjoys swimming, playing guitar, and spending time on the beach.
George Edward holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Science and a minor in Public Health. He also holds an associate degree in Medical Assisting. George was nominated for the NASA-JPL Summer Internship Research Initiative (SIRI) and received an offer from the NASA STEM-Academy for the upcoming fall. His research focuses on optimizing and evaluating DNA mini-barcoding primers for accurate species identification in processed canned tuna to mitigate health risks from mislabeling. In his free time, he enjoys going on road trips, traveling (having visited more than 15 countries), and playing chess.
Michael Hutchings is an undergraduate student majoring in Applied Human physiology and minoring in nutrition with dreams of attending dental school in the future. His research focuses on comparing and evaluating PCR protocols for identification in fish species. On his free time, Michael enjoys exercising, fishing, and hanging out with friends.