The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has awarded 95 undergraduate and graduate scholarships to food science students, totaling over $200,000. The scholarships were awarded through IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund, which is dedicated to students pursuing careers in food science.

Since 1985, the fund has awarded more than 2,800 scholarships, amounting to over $3 million, to food science students across the globe. The scholarship program provides undergraduate and graduate academic scholarships to cover financial needs, community college transfers, first-generation college enrollments, and more in food engineering, sensory and consumer science, and pediatric nutrition. Travel scholarships are also available for students to attend IFT First, the organization’s annual science and technology event which is being held July 13-16 this year. The event will include a Feeding Tomorrow Fun Run and Walk which supports students and young professionals in their career development.

“IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund is proud to support this year’s student recipients as they grow into the next generation of leaders in food science and shape the future of food. We congratulate each winner and look forward to supporting them on their academic and professional journeys as they help create an accessible, safe, and nutritious food system,” said Nina Steele, director of engagement, inclusion, and volunteer development at IFT.

This year’s recipient of the Elwood F. Caldwell Graduate Fellowship, which awards a $25,000 stipend, is Rahul Rathee, a PhD student at the University of Arkansas. The fellowship is open to students enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program in food science, focused on research that meets the demands of the global food system. Caldwell, a longstanding IFT member, is recognized as a pioneer in cereal science for his work as director of research and development for Quaker Oats and a leadership role in the University of Minnesota’s department of food science and nutrition.

Rathee began his academic career at Guru Jambheshwar University in Hisar, Haryana, India, where he earned his undergraduate degree in food science before earning a graduate degree in food process engineering at National Institute of Technology Rourkela in Rourkela, Odisha, India. He pursued his PhD at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, before transferring to the University of Arkansas. Last year’s recipient was Donpon Wannasin, a PhD student at the University of California-Davis.

Another competitive scholarship is the PepsiCo and IFT Academic and Travel Undergraduate Hybrid Scholarship which offers a $5,000 academic scholarship and a $1,000 travel stipend to IFT First. This year’s recipient was Trang Nguyen, who is pursuing her undergraduate degree at the University of Athens, Georgia. In 2024, she served as a food science summer researcher at Cornell University, where she worked as a research assistant in the university’s sensory evaluation center. Last year’s recipient, University of Pretoria student Josiah Muriuki, was recently re-elected to the IFT Student Association (IFTSA) as member at large. The student-governed community of over 2,400 IFT members spans 65 chapters in over 60 countries.

At IFT First, Nguyen and other students will have the opportunity to attend the PepsiCo meet and greets at the IFTSA student lounge. Attendees can network with PepsiCo employees, ask questions about the the company, and gain insights into trends and developments in the food and beverage industry.