V.M. Balasubramaniam

Biography

Dr. V.M. “Bala” Balasubramaniam is a Professor of Food Engineering at The Ohio State University, within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Department of Food Science and Technology, and the Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering program. He specializes in research and outreach on advanced food processing and sanitation methods (https://u.osu.edu/foodsafetyeng/).

Before joining Ohio State University in 2002, he served as an Associate Professor (Research) at the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, an industry-FDA-University consortium at the Illinois Institute of Technology (1995-2002). He also completed postdoctoral research at the University of Georgia from 1994 to 1995.

Dr. Bala’s research focuses on the development of innovative, sustainable advanced processing and sanitation technologies aimed at enhancing food safety, quality, and human health. His work contributes to the introduction of novel food processing techniques and sanitation methods for minimally processed foods, catering to modern consumer demands for products free from synthetic ingredients. Dr. Bala emphasizes multidisciplinary food engineering research, collaborating with microbiologists, chemists, technologists, and nutritionists from academia, government, and the food industry. He has mentored 12 postdoctoral researchers, 18 visiting scholars, 11 doctoral students, 17 master’s students, and 9 undergraduate students. Currently, he advises 4 doctoral students, 1 master’s student, and 1 research associate. Many of his lab alumni are now employed in the food industry or have pursued academic careers.

Dr. Bala (ORCID 0000-0002-1540-4273) has authored 138 peer-reviewed publications, 30 book chapters, 24 bulletins and technical reports, 6 food processor fact sheets, 6 patents/invention disclosures, and 5 webinars. He has also co-edited 4 books on food processing. In addition, Dr. Bala has delivered approximately 270 presentations at meetings organized by professional societies, universities, trade associations, and the food industry. According to Thomson Reuters' Web of Science, Dr. Bala has an h-index of 41, with 5,762 citations (as of November 2024), and an h-index of 50 on Google Scholar. A recent survey by Stanford University recognized Dr. Bala as being among the world’s top 2% of scientists.

Dr. Bala has supported his research and industrial outreach through over $10.6 million in funding ($3.27 million between 2020-2024) from various federal and industrial competitive grant programs.

Dr. Bala teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses on Unit Operations in Food Processing and Engineering (cross-listed as FST5400 and FABE 4410) and co-teaches a general education course on the Sustainability of the Food Supply Chain (cross-listed as FST 3400.01 and FABE 3400.01). Additionally, he will serve as the instructor for the 2024 Department of Food Science and Technology Seminar Series.

Dr. Bala's industrial outreach and extension efforts focus on disseminating research findings to food processors, equipment providers, and regulatory authorities through publications, demonstrations, webinars, presentations, and short courses. He has contributed to numerous advanced food processing workshops and short courses hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFoST).

Dr. Bala's contributions to food engineering have been recognized by his peers. He received the 2021 IFT Research and Development Award and is a Fellow of IFT, IUFoST, and ISAE. He is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Wiley’s Journal of Food Process Engineering. Dr. Bala is a member of the USDA National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board.