Chen Receives Award from the Institute of Food Technologists

North Dakota State University Department of Plant Sciences associate professor Bingcan Chen was awarded the Outstanding Young Scientist in honor of Samuel Cate Prescott from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) during the IFT-Food Improved by Research, Science and Technology (FIRST) Annual Event and Expo, which took place virtually and in person at McCormick Place in Chicago, July 10-13, 2022. 

Chen joined NDSU in 2015 as food and cereal chemistry specialist. He completed a B.S. in Food Science and Engineering in 2002 at Sichuan University of Science and Engineering and a M.S. in Pharmacochemistry in 2005 at Chongqing University, both in China, and a Ph.D. in Food Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2012. His research focuses on the understanding of structure and function relationships of food ingredients, particularly lipids, proteins, and phenolics, in relation to food quality and flavor. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles and six book chapters.

The Outstanding Young Scientist Award is one of most prestigious IFT Research and Innovation Awards given annually for outstanding research in food science and technology that advances food science and the human condition. Nominees must have received their highest degree within the previous 10 years. The award was first awarded in 1958 and includes a cash and an IFT crystal award. 

“I want to express my gratitude for the hard work of the brilliant and generous graduate students, scientists, and collaborators I have had the privilege to work with in the past. None of what I’ve done would be possible without their hard work and dedication. This award means so much for me to be placed in such distinguished ranks of the past award recipients. I will follow in the footsteps of them to make my contribution to the food science community,” Chen says.