Advisory Committee

Orane Blake is currently VP Procurement of Baha Mar, in which he is responsible for procurement, logistics and warehousing for the 1,000 acre multi site resort. Prior to this role he held various supply chain executive roles at Kraft Heinz, McCain Foods, Revlon and PepsiCo.

Dr. Yonas Gizaw is the CEO of GreenChemSolution. He leads R&D and formulation services for consumer goods, food, cosmetics, and ingredient companies. Specialized consulting services on green chemistry, biodegradable natural polymers, hydrocolloids, surfaces, and interface science.  

Jonathan Gray is Vice President of Specialized Nutrition Research & Innovation at Danone North America, leading R&D for Early Life Nutrition and Medical Food under the Nutricia and Happy Family brands. With over 20 years in the food industry, he has held R&D leadership roles at ConAgra, Kraft, Nestlé, and Danone, where he previously led innovation for plant-based and premium dairy brands like Silk, So Delicious, Vega, and Horizon Organic. He holds a PhD in Food Chemistry from Purdue University.

Dr. Rodney J. Green is a seasoned R&D executive with over 15 years of leadership experience in food product and process design, innovation strategy, and cost engineering at Conagra Brands. He earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science from Purdue University, where his research focused on tea catechin bioavailability and digestive stability. Dr. Green has led cross-functional teams driving multimillion-dollar growth and productivity initiatives, while also championing diversity in recruiting and mentoring future food scientists. A published researcher and patent holder, he remains actively engaged with the food science community through professional service and academic collaboration.

Bruce Hamaker is Distinguished Professor of Food Science at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He also holds the Roy L. Whistler Chair and is Director of the Whistler Center of Carbohydrate Research. He has an M.S. in Human Nutrition and Ph.D. in Food Science \ from Purdue University, and post-doctoral study through Johns Hopkins University at the Instituto de Investigación Nutricionál in Lima, Peru.

Owen Griffith Jones is an Associate Professor in the Food Science Department at Purdue University.  He is currently serving as Associate Director of the Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research and is also the Chair of the Food Science Department’s Graduate Student Committee.  Since 2024, he is Associate Editor of Food Chemistry (Elsevier) and Food Biophysics (Springer-Nature) journals.  His research program characterizes natural or purposefully-assembled protein- or polysaccharide-based colloidal structures with potential functional contributions to consumer products.

Mario M. Martinez is an Associate Professor and Consolidated Researcher in the Food Technology Division at the University of Valladolid (Spain), and also holds a joint appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science at Aarhus University (Denmark). Since September 2023, he has served as an editor for the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. His research focuses on structure–function relationships and the interactions among food components within complex systems and diverse environments, including the human gastrointestinal tract.

Senay Simsek is Professor and Head of the Department of Food Science at Purdue University. She is internationally recognized for her research in cereal and grain chemistry, with a focus on carbohydrate functionality and grain quality. Dr. Simsek brings deep academic and industry experience to the Whistler Center, where she helps guide strategic initiatives that connect fundamental research with real-world applications.