Professor Andrea M. Liceaga holds a Ph.D. in Food Chemistry from the University of British Columbia. In 2009, she became a faculty member in the Food Science Department at Purdue University, where she oversees the Protein Chemistry and Bioactive Peptides Laboratory. Dr. Liceaga is also the Director of the Sensory Evaluation Laboratory in the Food Science Department at Purdue University. Dr. Liceaga's research efforts include the study of emerging proteins (e.g. insects, hemp, chia, hairless canary seeds, etc.) in food formulations to advance food security. Her research also looks at the allergenicity of these emerging proteins and their biological activity for therapeutic applications as “foods for health”.
Dr. Jose E. Aguilar-Toalá is a professor and researcher at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) in the Food Science Department of the Lerma Unit. He is an Agroindustrial Engineer from the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, with a Master's and Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from the Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. (Center for Research in Food and Development). He has completed two postdoctoral stays: the first at the Department of Food Science at Purdue University, USA, where he worked on the application of emerging technologies and bioinformatics tools for the production of bioactive peptides, and the second at the Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico, where he worked on the application of nanotechnology in bioactive peptides. His research interests include emerging technologies for the generation of bioactive peptides, development of edible insect-based foods, evaluation of bioactive properties of postbiotics, and sensory evaluations applied in the development of new food products. His academic distinctions include being a full member of the Sociedad Mexicana de Bioquímica, A.C. and the Sociedad Mexicana de Biotecnología y Bioingeniería, A. C. He is also a member of the CONACYT Thematic Network of Protein Structure, Function and Evolution (REFEP).
