Dr. Almasri is an Associate Professor in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His research primarily centers around fabrication, characterization, and validation of sensors and biosensors at the micro and nano scale. This encompasses electrical, fluidic, and optical aspects, as well as device packaging. His current research is focused on several key areas: Impedance-based microfluidic biosensors for rapid detection and accurate identification of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella serovars and E. coli O157:H7 in poultry products, and waterborne pathogens such as Legionella in water sources. He addresses infectious diseases caused by bacterial and viral pathogens such as Zika, and SARS-COV-2 in wastewater and clinical samples. Additionally, he focuses on chronic wasting disease (CWD) pathologic prions protein in infected lymph node tissue homogenate samples and blood samples from hunter harvested animals. In all these applications, his devices demonstrated high sensitivity, selectivity, and detection in 3045 minutes. His works extends to microfluidic based sensors for evaluating cell membrane permeability in real time with applications in rapid assessment of red blood cells (RBCs) quality at the individual cell level. These sensors were utilized for rapid and accurate identification of malaria (P falciparum) infected whole blood. Dr. Almasri Also investigates transformative Fiberoptics based Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) sensors for multiplex detection and identification of pathogens in poultry products, as well as biomarkers in other applications. Additionally, he develops fiberoptics based refractive index sensors focusing on glucose sensing in water. Furthermore, his contribution to Metasurface based silicon germanium oxide (Si-Ge-O) infrared material and uncooled microbolometer aims to enhance detection capabilities and material identifications in the for in the long wavelength spectral window. Lastly, his research extends to Electrostatic and Magnetic-Based Power Harvesters, designed for low-frequency operation between 5 Hz and 60. He has established a cleanroom microfabrication facility and characterization laboratory.

Dr. Trout's research focuses on creating equitable health systems in the U.S. and internationally through the use health information technologies, workforce development, and health policy. Health policy and systems research (HPSR) is a multidisciplinary field that relies on team science to “draw a comprehensive picture of how health systems respond and adapt to health policies, and how health policies can shape – and be shaped by – health systems and the broader determinants of health” (Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research). Large scale datasets collected by Information Technologies have continued to have an increasing role in nearly every sector of the economy over the past decade and will continue to do so in the next. Despite national goals of achieving interoperability of electronic health records (EHRs) and enhanced clinical decision making, health data remains fragmented. Dr. Trout’s research interest lies at the intersection of Public Health, Health Policy, and Health Informatics to develop novel, data-driven ‘One Health’ approaches to rural health issues. Dr. Trout is a health services researcher and epidemiologist with research focusing on the utilization of Health Information Technologies (HITs) to improve access, efficiency, safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare in the United States and internationally with an emphasis on rural and low-resource settings. Effectively incorporating HITs at the system-level and improving the health data ecosystem will create an environment that supports utilizing big data to inform health policy, workforce development, and evidence-based decision making.

Dr. Safranski, Professor at the Department of Animal Science, has a broad range of animal science and live animal production, producer/industry partnerships leading to implementation of new technology into livestock production.

Dr. Li is Professor and Chair of the Supply Chain & Analytics Department, and the founding Director of Laboratory of Advanced Supply Chain Analytics (LASCA) at University of Missouri – St. Louis. Dr. Li’s research is motivated by his passion to enhance the quality and efficiency of real-life decision-making, with the ultimate goal of benefiting society. His research centers on developing models and algorithms that combine the complementary strengths of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics/optimization for supply chain applications in manufacturing, service, agriculture, construction, and healthcare. Dr. Li's research projects have been funded by the U.S. Army Research Office, U.S. DOT, Association Supply Chain Management (ASCM), International Agricultural Trade and Research Consortium (IATRC), Missouri Agriculture and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA), and HP Labs, Ameren and the ESI private sector.

Dr. Morey, Associate Professor in the department of Poultry Science, Auburn University, is a poultry meat quality scientist with research background in meat biochemistry, food microbiology, food processing technology as well as process and product development. His current research is focused on several key areas: Processing, further processing, product development, quality improvement, troubleshooting, improving shelf-life and food safety, product formulation, and regulation compliance of: Poultry; Eggs; Seafood; Beef; Produce: bananas, cactus, cantaloupe (food safety), spinach (food safety); Food products: chocolates, juices, baby food, salsa and sauces, pet food (cookies), etc.

Dr. Zhang, Professor and Director of Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL), is an expert in Salmonella pathogenesis, diagnosis, and surveillance. Her primary research involves Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance using phenotypic and genomic approaches (whole genome sequencing), Molecular diagnostic assay development and validation, Microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based detection of pathogens.

Dr. Westhoff is the director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri (FAPRI-MU) and the Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the MU Division of Applied Social Sciences. Dr. Westhoff’s research includes conducting forward-looking analysis of agricultural markets and policies. He provides analysis to policymakers and the public on the impacts of farm legislation, trade agreements, technology and the macro economy.

Dr. Lin, Professor at the Department of Food Science, is an expert in detection of foodborne pathogens using a SERS - based microfluidic immunosensor. His research has been focused on establishing rapid, novel, and noninvasive instrumental methods for the characterization of safety and quality attributes of agricultural and food products.

Dr. Hoang, Senior Research Associate at the Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute, is an expert in economic analysis and food security. At FAPRI-MU, Hoa conducts research related to a variety of topics and methodologies including consumer demand, food security, food policy analysis, international trade, supply chain optimization and innovation leveraged by interdisciplinary research.

Dr. Roberts, Professor at the Department of Plant Science & Technology. He is an expert in near-infrared analysis of agricultural plant and animal tissues. His research program is designed to identify factors that affect forage quality and plant persistence. The applied research deals with plant testing methodology and toxin management; the basic research deals with natural defense proteins in tall fescue and birdsfoot trefoil. His extension program is designed to help livestock producers improve their grazing operations. The program provides new information and technology pertaining to tall fescue toxicosis and grazing systems. He has experience in mobilizing a wide range of stakeholders and collaborators across sectors.

Andrew Gu is leading an interdisciplinary laboratory that has a long-term vision: integrating biomolecular engineering with nanobiotechnology to explore life science problems and develop sophisticated molecular diagnostic tools for personalized medicine. Gu is an awardee of an NSF CAREER grant. Supported by the NIH grants and Coulter Translational Program, his lab is developing ultrasensitive single-molecule technology for disease biomarker detection. He is working on nanopore-based single-molecule technology for rapid, label-free and low-cost gene sequencing and various genetic, epigenetic and proteomic detections. He utilizes his technology to explore COVID-19 genetic structures and screens their targeting drugs. The new generation of programmable nanopore biosensors is being combined with smart polymers and microfluidics to create robust chip devices for medical diagnosis, treatment and high-throughput screening at the molecular level. One example is the detection of cancer-associated circulating microRNAs for non-invasive and cost-effective cancer detection. His lab recently also developed gene material-based data storage, DNA hard drive and nucleic acid memory for broad biomedical applications.

Dr. Mustapha, Professor at the Department of Food Science, is an expert in food microbiology and microbial food safety, rapid and novel molecular and analytical detection methods for foodborne pathogens, investigations of the applications and safety of novel antimicrobial agents.

Dr. Lin is the lead scientist for the bioremediation, natural products and bioanalytical programs at the Center for Agroforestry at University of Missouri. His primary research involves the use of plants, microbes and engineered enzymes for bioremediation, ecological restoration, and development of bioeconomy. His bioremediation research focuses on bioremediation of organic pollutants and human pathogens. Since the COVID19 pandemic in 2000, Dr. Lin has successfully redirected the analytical resources and led his research team joining the task force ‘Coronavirus Sewershed Surveillance Project’ sponsored by the state and federal agencies to provide an early warning and capture the emergence of the variants. His current effort is to continue taking advantage of the developed wastewater-based epidemiology approach to map the prevalence of other human pathogens and illicit drugs, including influenza, RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), monkeypox, and opioids. Dr. Lin and his team have successfully transferred several inventions to industry. The spin-offs from his research include Elemental Enzymes Inc. and Tiger Energy LLC (now Tiger Enzyme Solutions).

Prof. Derek Anderson is in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department at the University of Missouri-Columbia, a core faculty member of the MU Institute for Data Science & Informatics, and he directs the Mizzou INformation and Data FUsion Laboratory (MINDFUL). His focus is information fusion and computational intelligence/machine learning/artificial intelligence in the context of signal/image processing and computer vision for remote sensing.

Dr. Kinzel’s research interests are centered on laser/material interaction with a focus on manufacturing/fabrication as well as sensing and energy harvesting. Current projects in his research group include additive manufacturing of glass for optics/photonics, scalable fabrication of metasurfaces/IR antennas for the control of thermal radiation, design of metasurface enabled uncooled IR microbolometers, and implementing spectrometry/radiometry for microstructure control in metal selective laser melting.

Leslie Speller-Henderson is a seasoned professional in the prevention sciences specializing in nutrition and health education and outreach. She holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences within the College of Health Sciences at the University of Missouri - Columbia (MU) Extension. Additionally, she serves as the Education Director in the Extension Health and Human Sciences unit at MU. She worked on collaborative research projects focusing on food safety, emergency preparedness, and childhood obesity prevention. These projects include:
An innovative initiative to integrate healthcare providers into foodborne illness prevention for older adults. Funded by the USDA/CSREES Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program under the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative
A Senior Food Safety project, supported by a NIFSI grant, created an educational booklet titled "Take Control of Food Safety!" designed for older adults.
An effort with Research and Academic areas to develop an emergency preparedness project resulted in the developing of an emergency preparedness curriculum.
An AFRI grant to research behavioral factors influencing childhood obesity - This research aimed to develop effective, family-based, and culturally appropriate interventions for preventing overweight and obesity in preschool-age children.

Dr. Fisher is an experienced animal scientist with a background in academic and industry research with broilers, layers, and swine. She has designed and conducted research trials involving nutrition (alternative feed ingredients, enzymes), slow-growing broilers, heritage breed chickens, lighting, and animal welfare. Dr. Fisher’s current research and extension program at Lincoln University focuses on meeting the needs of small- and medium-sized poultry producers.

Mr. Vought, Senior Geographic Information Systems Specialist at the Department of Geography, is an expert in spatial data and geographic information systems (GIS), and the data and operations manager of the Missouri Spatial Data Information Service, an office of the University of Missouri. In this capacity, he is responsible for ensuring that MSDIS continues to deliver the latest, most accurate mapping data and high-resolution imagery to Missouri’s professional GIS community.

Dr. Anand is an Associate Professor of Information Systems and Technology Department and Director of the Cybersecurity Program in Information Systems at University of Missouri St. Louis. His research interests include embedded and hardware security, blockchain for supply chain, Zero Trust architectures, and adaptable trustworthy computing. His research is currently centered on developing algorithms around the development and verification of Zero Trust architectures, secure boot and flashing, blockchain integration with sensors and identifying psychometrics in quantifying an adversarial mindset. Dr. Anand received his Ph.D. in computer engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Dr. Anand's research project has been funded by the National Security Agency/Department of Defense.

James is the most recent addition to the team, having started at Mizzou on September 18, 2023. His career has been based on successfully communicating the value of genetic products and programs to sales teams, other scientists, and clients, and training and leading teams to achieve these goals and brings these skills to the SENS-D project.

Ms. Thu Do earned her Master of Science degree in Diagnostics and Precision Medicine at Dublin City University, Ireland before working at the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Missouri. Her research focus on generation, modification, expression, purification and analysis of recombinant, monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against various biomarkers of different diseases.