Dr. Alireza Abbaspourrad, Yongkeun Joh Assistant Professor of Food Chemistry and Ingredient Technology, Atkinson Center for Sustainability Faculty Fellow, and Material Science Field member at Cornell University. Dr. Abbaspourrad received his M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from Ferdowsi University in Iran. He did his graduate work on synthesis and surface modification of zeolites at the Isfahan University of Technology, receiving his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 2006 in Iran. He visited National Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Alberta in Canada as a visiting scholar in 2003. Afterward, he established two chemical startups. In 2009, he joined Prof. David Weitz’s group at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, where he studied fabrication of functional materials at interfaces, structural emulsions, encapsulation of ingredients, and controlled release systems using drop-based microfluidics as well as conventional microencapsulation techniques. He leverages by successfully established a multidisciplinary research team includes more than 35 researchers focusing on cross-disciplinary projects comprise of (i) Bioassays using Microfluidics: Microorganism detection and separation; (ii) Polymer and organic molecule synthesis; (iii) Encapsulation, functionalization, and bioavailability of small molecules and food ingredients; (iv) Food processing, (v) Characterization, treatment, and conversion of waste to value, and (vi) Big data, holistic modeling, and simulation.
Abbaspourrad Lab is well-equipped with a variety of instrumentation to perform both the experimental and theoretical work in this area housing both a full analytical facility with in-house instrumentation as well as a spacious prototyping and experimentation labs. Researchers in the Abbaspourrad Lab are experienced in all aspects of academic and industrial research activity, from experimental design and interdisciplinary collaboration, through scale-up and commercialization techniques. The team has conducted research on behalf of many companies and federal agencies through sponsored research projects that resulted in the publication of more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and 13 patents; these opportunities provide the greatest training and experience to tackle projects that are highly complex and interdisciplinary.