Faculty & Staff
Uyen Thuy Xuan Phan is an Assistant Professor in the Food Science Program at Chapman University. She earned her doctoral degree in Sensory Analysis and Consumer Behavior at Kansas State University. She also has a Masters’ degree in Cognitive Science from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, and a bachelor’s in food technology from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology in Vietnam. Her research interests include sensory evaluation of food and non-food products; consumer behavior in relation to food choice and food consumption; cross-culture research to explore similarities/differences in motivation, perception, and attitudes toward food products among people in different cultures; multivariate statistical analyses to determine consumer preferences of food and to study relationships between sensory data and consumer acceptability data/chemical flavor data (GC-MS). With nearly 19 years of experience working in the field of sensory evaluation and consumer research, she has conducted academic and industry projects and consulting to help develop new products and extend knowledge in the field of sensory and consumer science.
Dr. Maya is a food and nutrition scientist specializing in the nutrition, quality, and consumer acceptance of alternative proteins, with a particular interest in edible insects. She is currently a GCI Postdoctoral Fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Uyen Phan. The goal of her research is to identify barriers and develop strategies for the successful integration of alternative proteins into a healthy and sustainable human diet. Dr. Maya holds a Ph.D. in nutrition from the University of Copenhagen.
Graduate Students
Aravindan Kadirvel completed his bachelor’s in technology in Biotechnology in India and is currently pursuing a master’s in food science at Chapman University while working as a sensory lab assistant. He hopes to do something related to food production or manufacturing in the future. In his free time, he enjoys reading books and travelling. You can reach him at kadirvel@chapman.edu
Alyna completed her bachelor’s degree in food science and technology at California Polytechnic Pomona. She is now pursuing her master’s at Chapman University. Her current interest in the food science field is product development, sensory, and quality assurance. Her hobbies include reading and trying new foods.