Awards and Recognition
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Awards and Recognition
IFT’s Achievement Awards and Fellows program honors members who are improving food for everyone, everywhere. Their work inspires IFT's community and drives meaningful change across the global food system.
2026 Class of IFT Fellows & Award Recipients
IFT is honored to announce the distinguished members of the 2026 Class of IFT Fellows and the recipients of the 2026 IFT Achievement Awards. Each honoree has demonstrated remarkable contributions to the science of food, and their impact is far-reaching!
2026 IFT Fellows
Valente Alvarez, PhD
Adelia Bovell-Benjamin, PhD, CFS
Roman Buckow, PhD
Sarah Kirkmeyer, PhD, MBA, CFS
Xiaonan Lu, PhD
Olive Yao Li, PhD
Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, PhD
Cristina Sabliov, PhD
Justin Shimek, PhD
Marcia Walker
2026 Achievement Award Recipients
Distinguished Career Award in honor of Carl R. Fellers, PhD -
Jianping Wu, PhD
Distinguished Lipid and Flavor Science Award in honor of Stephen S. Chang -
David Julian McClements, PhD
Food Packaging Award in honor of Don Riester, Rees Davis, and Aaron Brody -
Shyam Sablani, PhD
Include Award in honor of George Washington Carver -
Tamanna Ramesh, CFS
Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of Nicolas Appert -
Rui Hai Liu, PhD
Outstanding Young Scientist Award in honor of Samuel Cate Prescott -
Abigail Snyder
Research & Development Award | Team Leaders:
Diana Maya & Edgar Chow |
Key Contributors:
Juming Tang, PhD, Louise Wicker, PhD, & Shyam Sablani, PhD
Collaborative Research Grant in honor of Marcel Loncin -
Pu Jing
Sensory & Consumer Sciences Achievement Award  -
Edgar Chambers IV, PhD
Achievement Awards
IFT Achievement Awards
honor members for outstanding contributions to science, technology, applications, and service in food. IFT administers 17 awards, presented annually, biennially, or triennially, recognizing excellence in research, innovation, leadership, and service.
IFT Fellows
is the highest honor bestowed by IFT. Each year, IFT elects a new class of Fellows to recognize members for significant and sustained contributions to the field and to the organization.
Explore Awards and IFT Fellowship
Program Information
Learn more about the Achievement Awards and Fellows program in the Program Policy and FAQ, where you’ll find details on eligibility, recent updates, timelines, and the nomination process.
View Achievement Awards FAQ
View Achievement Awards and Fellows Program Policy
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