Dr. Zahra H. Mohammad, Ph.D., is currently working at Advanced Health and Education Services Organization as CEO/president of the organization, managing various training and research programs. She previously worked as a Food Microbiology and Extension Specialist at the University of Houston for many years. She has completed a BSc degree in Chemical Engineering. She was awarded a master’s and Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology /Food Microbiology from Texas A&M University. Her research interests focus on detecting pathogens in food, water, and food-related environments and how to counteract, prevent, and control their potential threat. She took a leading role in a wide variety of research projects addressing food safety, the environment, and the quality and shelf life of foods using conventional and modern intervention technologies, including thermal, non-thermal, molecular, and nanotechnology approaches. She has more than 10 years of teaching, extension, and industry experience and she published more than 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals, one book, and two review articles. She is a Produce Safety Alliance lead instructor, FSPCA Preventive Control for Human Food Lead Instructor, and International HACCP Alliance Lead instructor. She took a leading role in training growers in Texas Produce Safety Training and PCQI training across all of Texas. Dr. Faizan Ahmad, MTech, Ph.D., is currently working as an assistant professor at the Department of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, India. Dr. Ahmad has completed his BTech and MTech degrees in Chemical Engineering from Zakir Husain College of Engineering and Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, and his Ph.D. in Post Harvest Engineering and Technology from the Department of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology, A.M.U., Aligarh in Post harvest quality assessment of fruits and vegetables. He has more than 09 years of teaching and research experience. His current research is focused on developing food packaging by incorporating essential oils and nanoparticles. His research also includes quality evaluation of fruits and vegetables, food processing, preservation, and new product development by incorporating agricultural waste. He has published around 20 research papers in international and national reputed journals and more than 15 book chapters. Dr. Salam A. Ibrahim is a Professor of Food Science in the Food and Nutritional Science Program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, USA. He has established a research program around dairy technology, yogurt starter cultures, probiotics, and bioconversion processes, in addition to food safety and the use of natural compounds to inhibit the growth of foodborne illnesses. His program is well-funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture-United States Department of Agriculture (NIFA-USDA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other funding agencies. In addition, the food microbiology laboratory has strong connections with the food industry and often receives funds to support students around fermentation and the production of stable and functional probiotics products.
