Phi Tau Sigma honors Ubeyitogullari with Early Career Accomplishment Award

EARLY CAREER SUCCESS — Ali Ubeyitogullari was honored by Phi Tau Sigma with an early career accomplishment award. In this file photo, Ubeyitogullari loads a supercritical carbon dioxide particle formation unit to create nanoscale plant protein particles as part of his research. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Phi Tau Sigma, the honor society of food science and technology, has honored an Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researcher with its Early Career Accomplishment Award.

Ali Ubeyitogullari is an assistant professor who conducts research in the food science department and the biological and agricultural engineering department. He also teaches food science courses through the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

“In his brief time at the University of Arkansas, Ali has already begun to make a major impact on our campus with his research and teaching,” said Terry Howell Jr., head of the biological and agricultural engineering department. “I am thrilled that Phi Tau Sigma has recognized his early accomplishments.”

“It is fitting to see Dr. Ubeyitogullari earn this well-deserved recognition,” said David Caldwell, interim head of the food science department. “He has developed an impactful program in a relatively short period of time. We couldn’t be happier for him to be honored in this way.”

Ubeyitogullari is the founder and director of the Food Engineering for Health Lab, which focuses on enhancing human health and wellness through food using sustainable, innovative food processing technologies. The experiment station is the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Ubeyitogullari became a lifetime member of Phi Tau Sigma when he was inducted into the society in 2021, having received his doctorate in food science and technology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2018. He then moved to Cornell University for his postdoctoral research. His current research interests include enhancing the bioavailability of bioactive compounds using supercritical carbon dioxide technology, nanoscale science and engineering, and 3D food printing.

In addition to having published over 35 peer-reviewed articles since 2015, Ubeyitogullari has presented his research over 25 times at national and international professional conferences. During his three years in Arkansas, he has submitted five invention disclosures, with three of them already granted provisional patents and currently undergoing the full patent application process.

In an award announcement from Phi Tau Sigma, Ubeyitogullari was also commended for his mentorship of students and postdocs, and his service on several committees. He serves as vice-chair of the Phi Tau Sigma Membership Recruitment and Retention Committee, president of the Institute of Food Technologists’ Ozark Section, and Member-at-Large of the IFT’s Food Engineering Division.

Ubeyitogullari is also a member of the American Oil Chemist’s Society, the Society of Food Engineering, and has served on multiple grant review panels for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Many food science journals also rely on Ubeyitogullari to review research articles.

In 2023, three grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture were awarded to Ubeyitogullari to work on his novel research on 3D food printing and supercritical carbon dioxide. The research is focused on enhancing the quality and health benefits of foods as well as improving the utilization of agricultural and food processing byproducts. In all, he has received funding from various federal, national and state funding agencies to serve as a principal or co-principal investigator.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.