Name: Naim Montazeri

Job title: Ph.D. candidate of Food Science

Company: Louisiana State University

IFT Division to which you belong: Aquatic Food Products

Highest Level of Education/Degree: Ph.D. (almost!)

What is your favorite quote? “While the difficult takes time, the impossible just takes a little longer.” – Art E. Berg.

What does your schedule look like today? I am going to defend my dissertation within a couple of days. I am very excited and look forward to it. Today, besides this interview, I will work on my presentation and review my research notes. I just received an email about the acceptance of my first manuscript submitted to the IFT Journal of Food Science. It made my day! I am also looking for job opportunities in food science. Recently, I have been visiting the IFT Career Center website more frequently. I believe it is a great source to find out about the relevant job vacancies. For the rest of my day, I think will play tennis and music, and spend my time with my lovely wife.

How did you go about finding your current job? During my last year of enrollment at the University of Alaska Fairbanks I started looking for Ph.D. positions on seafood safety. Dr. Marlene Janes from LSU was one of the professors I really wanted to work with. After contacting Dr. Janes, she told me that she has a position for a Ph.D. student to work on norovirus in oyster and water. The topic was very exciting to me. I applied and got accepted for the program. Nothing is more satisfying than growing into a profession that you really enjoy. I also had the chance to slurp fresh Louisiana oyster right off the boat. That was quite amazing.

If you weren’t a Food Scientist, what would you be doing? Well, I always wanted to be a baker since I was a child. I think it would be considered a food science as well.

Who do you think is the most influential person in your field and why?  I greatly admire those who are working hard to serve other people and to nurture those whom have a great desire to do a good work.

When are you most inspired? When I have a meaningful discussion with someone on a topic that we both have mutual interests. In this regard, IFT’s annual event, IFT15 is a great place to nail it! I also get inspired when I write down my main objective on a piece of paper and sketch out the approaches to find out the best story which would lead me toward my goal properly.

Why should I join ­­­­­­­­­­Aquatic Food Products or any other IFT Division? AFPD is a small group of professionals but deeply passionate about seafood. There is a shared interest about aquatic food products that brought diverse group of professionals (from industry, academia and government) together to work closely together. AFPD is open to everyone, new professionals or students who are interested in delving deeper in seafood science and who are willing to contribute. Engaging in their activities always excites me.

Join the Aquatic Food Products Division here!

Last year, I had the opportunity to serve as the AFPD Student Representative. I have also served as the Super User to help improve and moderate the new IFT web site, which is now called IFT Connect. It has been a great experience of getting connected with other professionals, learning web-based communication skills, and enriching my knowledge. I believe IFT is a great place to get connected with other divisions and perform multidisciplinary collaborations.

What is your favorite food? A plate of sushi and sashimi. (<- An aquatic food! Imagine that… :))

Read more about Naim and his research on his website!