Michelle Danyluk Assumes Presidency of the International Association for Food Protection

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Des Moines, Iowa – Dr. Michelle Danyluk assumed the presidency of the International Association for Food Protection at the conclusion of IAFP 2022.

Dr. Danyluk is a Professor and Extension Specialist of Food Safety and Microbiology in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida (UF). Dr. Danyluk is situated at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. Her primary research focuses on bacterial pathogens in produce, including production, packing, and processing environments, its movement and mitigation within these environments, and the subsequent implications for public health. Dr. Danyluk serves as the lead for the USDA-funded Southern Center for FSMA Training, a consortium of collaborators in 13 southern states, one territory, and with three non-governmental organizations.

During her academic career at UF, Dr. Danyluk has served on numerous college, department, and center committees. She received the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Richard Jones Outstanding New Faculty Research Award in 2011; an Excellence Award for Assistant Professors in 2013; a Research Foundation Professorship Award in 2015; and a Term Professorship Award in 2019. She was elected a member of the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food (ICMSF) in 2016, where she currently serves as treasurer.

As a 20-year IAFP Member, Dr. Danyluk has organized, convened, and presented several IAFP symposia at numerous IAFP Annual Meetings and actively participates in PDGs and on various Committees. She received the President’s Recognition Award in 2019, 2017, 2013, and 2011, the Larry Beuchat Young Researcher Award in 2010, and the IAFP Developing Scientist Award in 2005. She currently serves as the Board Liaison on the IAFP Program Committee for both the Annual Meeting (having also served from 2017–2019) and on the IAFP European Food Safety Symposium. Dr. Danyluk served on the Journal of Food Protection (JFP) Management Committee from 2011–2013 and from 2019–2022. She also served on the Food Protection Trends (FPT) Editorial Board from 2009–2014 and on the FPT Management Committee from 2009–2013. She is an active member of the IAFP Affiliate, the Florida Association for Food Protection, serving on its board from 2009–2017, and as President in 2011.

Dr. Danyluk holds a bachelor’s in Biological Sciences with a specialization in Microbiology from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. She earned her master’s in Food Science and Technology from the University of Georgia in Athens, and her Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of California – Davis, where she also completed a postdoc.

In addition to Dr. Danyluk, other members of the Executive Board include:

President-Elect, Jose Emilio Esteban, Ph.D., USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service, Washington, D.C.
Vice President, Mark Carter, MC Squared, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Secretary, Manpreet Singh, Ph.D., University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Past President, Ruth Petran, Ph.D., Ruth Petran Consulting, LLC, Eagan, Minnesota
Affiliate Council Chair, Amy Rhodes, HP Hood LLC, Cape Vincent, New York