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The overall goal of our research and teaching is to enable computer-aided food engineering that reduces resource use in the food product, process, and equipment design. To achieve this, we are building a physics framework, a resource platform, and a community.  Three main ongoing projects are 1) a food properties knowledge base, 2) achieving blazing-fast simulations for “what if” scenarios in a practical setting, and 3) educational materials to complement.

Our universal physics framework to model processes in solid foods treats the foods as deformable-swellable porous media where multiphase and multicomponent transport (e.g., energy and water transport, fluid flow) with deformation takes place. Associated physics such as solid mechanics and electromagnetics are also included as needed.

We also have a deep interest in teaching and learning in biological engineering, including active learning in the context of heat and mass transfer and modeling of biomedical and food processes.