Han Chen - Graduate Ag Research Spotlight
I see my role and our lab’s role as the bridge between wet-lab research and real-world needs.
- Han Chen, PhD candidate in food science
The student
Not everyone gets to live their childhood dreams, but Han Chen is living hers.
When Chen was a little girl in Guangzhou, China, her scientist father would bring her to his university lab and show her the equipment, demonstrating the use of pH strips and doing other small experiments.
To Chen, it was magical.
“When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said ‘a scientist,’” she says.
Today, Chen is a PhD candidate in food science, working on food safety.
“I’m really lucky to have grown up surrounded by academia,” she says – her mother also works at a university. She began her undergraduate studies in food science in China, then transferred to Purdue her sophomore year.
“I’m a person who wants to explore new environments,” she says. “I wanted to get exposed to other worlds.”
In her junior year, she met Betty Feng, an associate professor of food science leading the food safety human factor lab, who had just arrived at Purdue herself. Feng became Chen’s advisor and sparked her interest in studying human factors in food safety, a field she previously knew little about.
“She is the one who really brought me into this field,” Chen says.
She’s never looked back, continuing at Purdue for her master’s and now her PhD, working in Feng’s lab.
The research
Chen studies food safety culture and education – exploring strategies to strengthen the culture of food safety in the food supply chain to improve their performance and reduce the risks of foodborne illness.
“People are really critical in the food supply chain from farm to fork,” she says. “We have farmers, processors, manufacturers, restaurant workers, all the way to consumers. People are the frontline defenders of foodborne illness.” Chen looks at understanding people’s needs and gaps in food safety, and exploring how these gaps might be filled with better knowledge or resources.
Her research focuses on the low-moisture food industry – think dried products like nuts and flours, which aren’t traditionally considered risky. But these foods are not exempt – there were two major outbreaks of salmonellosis associated with raw California almonds in the early 2000s, which triggered a major transformation in food safety management and culture in the almond industry. Chen’s current work focuses on understanding how these changes happened, the factors driving the evolution of food safety in the industry, and how similar reforms could be implemented in other sectors. She also participates in Extension work, interacting directly with stakeholders.
“I see my role and our lab’s role as the bridge between wet-lab research and real-world needs,” Chen says.
Opportunities
When Chen started at Purdue, she considered herself very introverted. But, with Feng’s encouragement, she grew more confident interacting with human participants. Feng shared her own techniques, recommended books, and role-played as both interviewer and interviewee to help her prepare. Now, she shares her techniques with newer graduate students and mentors undergraduate student researchers.
“We’re a really collaborative lab,” says Chen. “We support each other, and we’re willing to provide feedback.”
She also appreciates the resources provided by the wider Purdue community. “I enjoy going to the writing lab, and we have a great library,” she says. “I also like the environment here at Purdue, it’s a peaceful little town, and beautiful in the fall.”
Chen’s work has earned her a Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship, which supports outstanding PhD candidates during their final year.
Future plans
Chen will graduate this spring, and plans to remain in the field of food safety. Whether that’s in academia or industry, she’s “still exploring.”
When she’s not working, Chen enjoys food – no, her work doesn’t put her off eating! She’s especially fond of hot pot, and loves exploring Chicago’s Chinatown.
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