Endowed Professors

Virginia Hutchison Bazler and Frank E. Bazler Chair in Food Science

Virginia and Frank Bazler have long supported food safety efforts at the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. In 2007, they funded the Virginia Hutchison Bazler and Frank E. Bazler Designated Professorship in Food Science, which allowed them to make an annual gift supporting a named professor and to experience the impact of their support during their lifetimes. In 2010, they documented an estate gift that, when realized, established and endowed the Virginia Hutchison Bazler and Frank E. Bazler Chair in Food Science.

Ahmed E. Yousef, Distinguished Professor of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), was named the college’s inaugural Virginia Hutchison Bazler and Frank E. Bazler Chair in Food Science. His five-year term began August 15, 2021 and was renewed for a new five-year term, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. 

In this new position, Yousef will lead a team of food scientists focused on a three-pronged approach to food safety: research to promote food safety; outreach in terms of getting the research news out to the food processing industry and informing consumers to improve food safety; and teaching the next generation of food safety scientists.

About the current chair holder

Dr. Ahmed Yousef earned his PhD in Food Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining Ohio State as an Assistant Professor in 1991. Since joining Ohio State, Dr. Yousef has been searching for natural alternatives to currently used synthetic food preservatives. His team discovered potent antimicrobial agents produced by beneficial bacteria; both the agents and bacteria are suitable for applications in food preservation. 

Since the late 1990s, Dr. Yousef and his research team have worked to develop methods to pasteurize shell eggs and to decontaminate fresh produce while maintaining products’ fresh qualities. His breakthrough uses a combination of mild heat and pressurized ozone to pasteurize shell eggs. This process can eliminate Salmonella and other pathogens inside raw shell eggs. His ozone research also led to developing methods to decontaminate spinach, apples and other fresh produce. 

As a result of this research, Dr. Yousef established the largest ozone research laboratory in the U.S. right here at Ohio State. Because of his food-safety expertise, Dr. Yousef frequently appears in television, radio and newspaper interviews to explain issues related to foodborne disease outbreaks and products recalls.

Carl E. Haas Chair in Food Industries

The Haas Endowed Chair is made possible by the fruit and vegetable processing industry proximate to Ohio. Established by Mr. Haas ('18 B.S. Horticulture), industry, alumni and friends. Major corporate donors included the Mid America Food Processors Association; Bob Evans Farms, Inc.; Heinz USA; L.K. Baker & Company; Rudolph Foods, Inc.; Bryan Canning Company, and others. 

Mr. Haas made many contributions to the food industry. Mr. Haas served in the infantry in France during World War I, where he began as a private and left as a 2nd lieutenant. He retired from president of a long and successful family business (The Haas Brothers Company) in Cleveland, Ohio. This fresh fruit and vegetable wholesale company was founded by his father and run by the family; by the time it was sold, it had existed for more than 80 years. 

He was very tied to the Cleveland community, felt strongly about his accomplishments, and had continued interests in The Ohio State University. Mr. Haas died July 25, 1989, at the the age of 96. He was past president and director of Northern Ohio Food Terminal and was a member of the Director's Council for the Food Industries Center. Ohio State recognized that the food industry constitutes a major segment of the nation's economy; and most of the nation's largest food-related corporations operate facilities in Ohio to process, package and distribute the state's diversified food production. 

The university has had a reputation for supplying the food industry with the research and technical information required in today's sophisticated system, along with highly trained graduates capable of their own research programs and implementation of data into industry procedures. Thus, the Haas Chair was established as a way of reaching the dedicated goal of excellence in foods at Ohio State.

About the current chair holder

In 2019 Dr. Osvaldo Campanella assumed the role of the Carl E. Haas Endowed Chair in Food Industries and was reappointed for another five-year term in 2024. 

Dr. Campanella holds a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina and a PhD in food engineering from the University of Massachusetts, USA. On completion of his PhD he moved to New Zealand as a faculty in the Department of Food Technology, Massey University. In that university, he focused his research on food engineering, heat transfer modeling, food extrusion, rheology and dairy technology. 

Professor Campanella was appointed at Purdue University in 1999 where he continued working on areas of food engineering and rheology applied to biomaterials, notably and thermal processing until 2018.

J.T. “Stubby” Parker Endowed Chair in Dairy Foods

Several industry leaders saw the need to keep Ohio at the forefront of dairy products research and began to investigate the possibility of creating a endowed chair specifically for dairy foods in the 1980's. Key among these was Joseph Soehnlen of Superior Dairy, who investigated the potential for obtaining such a chair, and presented the idea to John Lindamood. Later, as chair of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Jim Martin then championed the cause. It was soon evident that to raise the amount of money needed would require the dedicated effort of some enthusiastic industry supporters. The resulting committee was chaired by Webb Jennings. Many people spent much time and effort in money raising efforts. Among those most active were Webb Jennings, Jim Lindeman, John Miller and Keb Lehman.

The J.T. “Stubby” Parker Chair was established on February 2, 1990 following a major gift from Thomas L. Parker in memory of his father, J.T. “Stubby” Parker. J.T. Parker's life work was in the dairy industry and he was the originator of Drumstick in Columbus, Ohio. Over the years, when the dairy plant was fully operating, Drumstick frequently used the pilot plant facilities in testing new concepts. Additional gifts from 28 companies and numerous individuals provided the required $1,250,000 by 1993. Since then re-investment of some of the funds and additional gifts have brought the principal to more than $1,800,000.

The objective of the endowment is that “the income shall be used to support the work of a distinguished professor whose research, teaching and public service focus on stimulating new research into the chemical, microbiology and/or engineering phases of the dairy foods industry.”

About the current chair holder

Dr. Rafael Jimenez-Flores assumed the role of the JT Parker Chair in Dairy Foods in 2016 until his retirement in August 2026.

Dale A. Seiberling Professorship in Food Engineering

Established in 2001, the Dale A. Seiberling Professorship in Food Engineering supports an internationally recognized food engineer, with preference given to dairy engineering, to investigate current significant industrial problems in food engineering. The endowment also makes provisions for the “Jean F. Seiberling Scholarship” for graduate students as well as support for distinguished visitors to the dairy and food engineering program; annual research in dairy and food engineering that advances the mission of the food engineering program; and support for special programs in dairy and food engineering as identified by students, faculty, staff and dairy and food industry representatives.

Dale A. Seiberling was an instructor in dairy technology during the 1950s, when automation was being incorporated into dairy processing plant operations. He became the champion of Clean-In-Place (CIP), as the approach to reduce the significant amounts of labor from hand-washing required to ensure the efficient and safe operations of a dairy plant. In the years that followed, Dale was a part of several companies and eventually his own company. He became the “Father of CIP” throughout the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry. 

About the current holder

In January 2026, Dr. Jen-Yi Huang joined the faculty at Ohio State as the Dale A. Seiberling Endowed Professor of Food Engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering. 

Dr. Huang holds a BS in bio-industrial mechatronics engineering and an MS in food science and technology, both from National Taiwan University. He earned his doctorate in chemical engineering and biotechnology from the University of Cambridge before working as a research fellow at National University of Singapore. He started his faculty career in the Department of Food Science at Purdue University in 2016, where he was promoted to full professor in 2025. 

Dr. Huang’s research focuses on novel food processing technologies to reduce energy and water use as well as food waste, while producing high-quality, nutritious and safe foods. He is also interested in applying life cycle approaches to transform our food systems and guarantee their long-term sustainability. His program has been funded by federal agencies and industries for totaling nearly $13 million, including an ongoing $10 million USDA Sustainable Agricultural Systems project, When Blue is Green (BiG), which aims at sustainably increasing Midwestern seafood production and consumption through aquaponics innovation. Dr. Huang received Purdue Researcher Recognition Award in 2023.

CFAES Distinguished Professors