Scientist - Product Development

• Jun 2023 - Present

Associate Scientist - Strategic Ingredients

• Jun 2021 - Jun 2023

• Collaborate with Strategic Procurement and external suppliers to identify new ingredients, de-risk the supply chain, gain cost savings, and improve current products. • Develop and optimize validation workflows to evaluate ingredients (flavors, colors, proteins, starches, antioxidants, etc.) in plant-based meat matrices. • Formulate next-generation Impossible products by integrating and scaling up new technologies. • Identify failure modes for manufacturing transfer of new ingredients/technologies in established or new product formulations.• Design and conduct sensory studies to understand flavor and texture perception and evaluate the significance of the results with statistical analysis and a hypothesis-driven approach.• Build CTQ (Critical-to-Quality) trees and execute experiments to characterize new ingredients using analytical tools (e.g. GCMS, UV-VIS Spectroscopy, Colorimeter, Texture Analyzer, Rancimat, etc.) in simplified and complex food matrices.• Co-develop ingredients with external suppliers to meet finished product specifications and manage Tech- Transfer through Product and Process Qualification. Show less

Senior Research Associate

• Feb 2020 - Jun 2021

Food Safety Scientist

• Jun 2018 - Feb 2020

• Formulated cost-effective seasoning blends with unique flavor profiles for meats, sauces, and snacks. • Developed products that meet guidelines for customer-specified claims, including Clean Label, Organic, and Gluten-Free. • Used Genesis software to create and analyze nutritional labels and product specifications. • Troubleshoot customer complaints by investigating the root cause and effective solutions. • Enforced manufacturing practices to comply with the SQF Certification requirements. • Performed quality control checks for finished products and took corrective actions in case of incompliance. Show less

R&D Product Developer - Gatorade

• Jul 2017 - Jun 2018

• Executed beverage product innovations with natural colors, flavors, emulsions, and their stability for 10+ SKUs. • Implemented product development through bench-top through pilot plant scale-up. • Represented R&D in cross-functional team meetings. • Conducted and participated in sensory panels and consumer tests. • Executed beverage product innovations with natural colors, flavors, emulsions, and their stability for 10+ SKUs. • Implemented product development through bench-top through pilot plant scale-up. • Represented R&D in cross-functional team meetings. • Conducted and participated in sensory panels and consumer tests.

Graduate Research Assistant

• Jun 2016 - May 2017

• Conceptualized and executed all phases of the Research Project: Analysis of High Pressure Processed (HPP) Orange Juice for Flavor Scalping and Microbial Inactivation in Various Packaging Films. • Optimized the method for identification of flavor compounds by using static headspace-SPME GC-MS and E-Nose System. • Developed a HPLC method for vitamin C analysis. • Piloted a microbiological shelf-life study for various packages and processing combinations. • Worked in a GMP area and assisted in operating HPP unit. Show less

Production and Quality Control Intern

• Dec 2014 - Apr 2015

• Responsibilities included quality control checks for raw materials, packaging materials, and finished products. • Evaluated operations of beverage processing lines including syrup and concentrate making. • Experienced in sugar-beverage ratio calculations, downtime analysis, clean-in-place and utility operations. • Assisted in daily Jishu-Hozen activity for preventive maintenance of processing equipments. • Responsibilities included quality control checks for raw materials, packaging materials, and finished products. • Evaluated operations of beverage processing lines including syrup and concentrate making. • Experienced in sugar-beverage ratio calculations, downtime analysis, clean-in-place and utility operations. • Assisted in daily Jishu-Hozen activity for preventive maintenance of processing equipments.