Joanna, the food scientist

Hello, I'm Joanna!

I'm from Harlem in New York city.

All my life I've worked hard to impress my mama, because she's very sick. That is why I always tried my best at school and was at the top of my class. My favorite subjects were Math, Science and Chemistry.

I went to school for a total of ten years to be where I am today. I have a PhD in food science. Thanks to my PhD, I am a professor at Cornell University and I also conduct food research.

In a regular day, I fulfill a variety of tasks, for example:

• Develop and test new food products
• Determine the fat, sugar, vitamin or mineral content of products
• Research ways to improve products (packaging, preservation, manufacturing)

Now, you might think that my job consists of eating food all day, but this is not the case. There is a lot more science in my job than only taste buds. My colleagues and I come up with ways to preserve foods in order to have it fresh and safe to eat for customers. I work with grocery stores and occasionally fast food restaurants, like Popeye's Chicken.

My job requires me to use my hands-on smarts as well as my number smarts and my skills in science.

I like working at the university because that means I can pick the hours I work. My schedule is very flexible. If I have personal obligations, I can adjust my working hours, but I must pay them back later.

I have a big circle of friends, and I have always been a social butterfly. Unfortunately, I am required to work by myself most of time. I do work with my colleagues when we seek each other's opinions, but apart from that, I rarely interact with others during my work hours. 

I rarely discuss my finances, but I earn a salary ranging from $35,000 to $100,000.

All in all, I love my job as a food scientist. I work in a field where I can apply my science skills but also eat, which is something I love to do.

-Joanna