Wladir B. Valderrama, a 2012 Ph.D. candidate in Food Science, is the first recipient of the Food Industry Group Graduate Student Leadership Award. The award was presented October 11, 2011 at the Food Industry Group Fall Membership & Board Meeting during the Annual Food Science Tailgate.
Wladir Valderrama
Wladir is an active member in several professional societies including, the Institute of Food Technologist (IFT), American Society of Microbiology (ASM), American Society for Quality (ASQ), and the International Association of Food Protection (IFAP). In addition, he is a member of two honor societies, Phi Tau Sigma and Gamma Sigma Delta. As a Masters student he served as President of the Peruvian chapter of the Wageningen University Alumni Association and later as student liaison to the IFT Food Microbiology Division while attending Penn State. Wladir led the Penn State Food Science Product Development Team to a first place finish at the National IFT product Development Competition "Developing Solutions for Developing Countries." As the leader of the winning team he gained valuable experience in leadership and honed his presentation skills.
Wladir has published in several professional journals including the International Journal of Food Microbiology, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Applied Environmental Microbiology, and the Journal of Food Protection.
Wladir's research at Penn State focused on the use of chlorine dioxide to control Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in brine solutions used in chilling process for ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. He is currently employed as Director of Food Safety and Quality at Smith Provision Company, Inc.
Department of Food Science
- Email foodsci@psu.edu
- Office (814) 865-5444
- Fax (814) 863-6132
Department of Food Science
- Email foodsci@psu.edu
- Office (814) 865-5444
- Fax (814) 863-6132
