People

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I received an MS degree in Agricultural Products Processing and Preservative Engineering from China Agricultural University in 2010 and a Ph.D. degree in Food Science from Zhejiang University in 2015. After working at Wuhan Polytechnic University as an assistant professor for three years, I joined UNL in the 2018 fall semester for further studies. My previous research interest was the modification of natural phenolic compounds and investigated the inhibitory mechanism of lipid phenolic compounds on the production of endogenous chemical pollutants in frying oil and foods. My current research is about the customization of lipid-based food ink for 3D food printing and improving the printing and post-printing performance via particle engineering technology. Outside of the laboratory, I enjoy reading with my daughter, cooking, and jogging.

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Shima Momen is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Food Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She holds a doctorate degree in Food Science from Laval University, Quebec, Canada, and a master's degree in food Science from Tehran University, Iran. As a skilled food scientist, Shima Momen has extensive research experience in macromolecular chemistry, specifically in modifying and enhancing the physicochemical and functional properties of whey and plant proteins for food applications. Her research focuses on developing tailored hydrogels and nanostructures for bioactive compound delivery systems, leveraging nanotechnology science to improve the functional properties of proteins and enhance the efficacy and bioavailability of bioactive molecules. Shima Momen's research is currently delving into the fabrication of nano porous materials from starch and proteins to be used as novel delivering systems, oil structuring materials, and superabsorbents.

Farhad is a graduate Ph.D. student researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln under the guidance of Dr. Ozan Ciftci. Farhad held a BS in Food Science at Shiraz University, Iran, and an MSc in Food processing from the University of Tehran, Iran. Before coming to Dr. Cifti’s lab, he worked as a research assistant in Dr. Lingyun Chen’s lab at the University of Alberta, where Farhad conducted several research projects on the modification and valorization of food proteins and designing novel food structures by protein aggregates and protein nanofibrils. The results of his research have been published as several research papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is currently working on developing highly porous bio-based aerogels through supercritical CO2 drying technology to develop novel scaffolds for nutraceutical delivery, oil structuring, and scaffolding for cell culture. He recently got awarded the Victor W. Henningsen, Sr. Graduate Student Fellowship Award for advancing research in egg white protein, and the Skala Fellowship for advanced research in new uses of agricultural products. Farhad enjoys biking, working out at the gym, sometimes running, and watching sci-fi and historical movies.

I received my B.S. and M.S., both in Food Engineering, from the Middle East Technical University, Turkey, in 2017 and 2019, respectively. The title of my master’s study was “Improving the gelation properties of fish gelatin by using novel technologies such as high hydrostatic pressure and ultrasonication.”. I participated in Ciftci’s lab in 2021 as a Ph.D. student. Currently, my research focuses on the green processing of lipids to form natural food ingredients to be used as bioactive carriers, fat replacers, and natural food antimicrobials. The title of my Ph.D. project is “Development of an innovative green platform technology to manufacture novel multifunctional hollow solid lipid micro- and nanoparticles.”. My project is supported by USDA NIFA Novel Foods and Manufacturing Technologies program. In the 2021-2022 academic year, I have been selected to receive a Milton E. Mohr Fellowship.

I completed my B.S. and M.S. in Food Science and Technology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My research has been focused on development of novel flavor delivery systems using clean process. Specifically, my master’s focus was creation and characterization of nanoporous corn starch aerogel for flavor delivery. Now, I am testing the aforementioned flavor impregnated nanoporous corn starch aerogel in food applications. Additionally, I have over a decade of food industry experience and currently work at Conagra Brands as a Senior Food Scientist where I am the Technical Lead for Flavors, Spices, and Seasonings.

I received my B.S. in Food Science and Technology from Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University in 2019, and my M.S. in Food Engineering from University College Dublin in 2021. During my Master Program, my research was focused on UV-vis spectroscopy for adulteration detection of gin and process analytical technology (PAT) in dairy processing. Currently I am under direct supervision by Dr. Ozan Ciftci in the Ciftci Laboratory while I am actively pursuing research in enzymatic interesterification reactions in supercritical carbon dioxide fluid. I enjoy cooking new foods, practicing yoga and meeting new people in my spare time.

I have completed my Master’s in Food Engineering in 2018 and bachelor’s in the same discipline in 2015 from the Department of Food Engineering, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) - Pakistan. Minimizing post-harvest losses caught my attention during my Master's, and as my master's research and thesis, I chose to design and develop a mango pulp extractor to meet the needs of the cottage industry. This work has been published in an international Journal. I worked as a Lecturer in the Department of Food Engineering at the UAF from July 2016 to June 2022. My major duties were research, teaching, and lab work for both undergraduate and graduate students. I have taught several food engineering-related courses at the UAF during the course of my career. As a PhD candidate in the department of Biological Systems Engineering, I started attending the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in 2022. I am being supported by a National Science Foundation project “BioWRAP - Bioplastics with Regenerative Agricultural Properties” Graduate Research Assistantship. My research area is Biopolymer Engineering, and I am conducting research to create a set of bio-based polymers that can be used as sprayable mulch in agricultural production.

Hailing from Malaysia, Blake is a hard-working master’s student in the Department of Food Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Having completed his undergraduate degree in Food Science at UNL in 2020 he then pursued a career in food manufacturing to gain firsthand experience with manufacturing techniques. After 3 years, he returned to UNL in 2023 to complete his master’s in food science with focus on food engineering methods under the tutelage of Dr. Ozan Ciftci. While completing his undergraduate program he joined the undergraduate student research program & gained experience in Cifti Lab with research techniques using subcritical water extraction & chemical lipid extraction. Furthermore, he was awarded the IANR ARD Undergraduate Student Research funding for the topic ‘Interesterification of Camelina seed oil with sorghum wax’. Additionally, he collaborated with graduate students & postdoctoral scholars in research topics such 3-D food printing, novel lipid carriers, lipid analysis and interesterification of lipids. It is with great pride that he rejoined Ciftci Lab & is part of the Graduate Research Assistantship program. Apart from his desk job he enjoys running, the gym & falling into the abyss of YouTube.

I am a junior Chemical Engineering student visiting the University of Nebraska - Lincoln as a summer research scholar. I currently attend the Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I am interested in pursuing a career in either food or pharmaceutical research. In my free time I enjoy being outside, bike riding, or relaxing with friends.