FST is please to welcome Assistant Professors Juliana de Moura Bell and Ned Spang to the faculty! 

Dr. de Moura Bell's research includes the development and application of environmentally friendly technologies to replace the incumbent technology for extracting and fractionating of major food components such as oil, protein, and carbohydrates. Specifically, she is interested in bio-processing techniques such as enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction, fermentation, and less harsh techniques like supercritical and subcritical extractions. Her laboratory research interests include: 1) Scaling-up extraction and downstream recovery processes from laboratory to pilot-scale; 2) Determining the effects of processing conditions (extraction, heat treatment, enzymatic modifications and recovery strategies) on the functionality and biological activities of food components, and 3) The conversion of agricultural waste streams/food processing by-products into high added-value compounds. 

Dr. Spang's research focuses on characterizing and optimizing the efficiency of linked water, energy, and food resource systems. He is particularly interested in applying methodologies for measuring and monitoring these systems and their interrelationships in high-resolution and across multiple scales, both geographic and temporal. He further seeks to understand the influence of external markets, technological innovation and policies on this integrated food-water-energy nexus. His recent publications explore mapping energy flows through water infrastructure, enhancing the conservation signal and stability of water rates, and estimating worldwide water consumption for energy production. 

Dr. Spang also serves as the Associate Director at the Center for Water-Energy Efficiency at UC Davis. The Center aims to research, develop, and disseminate efficient technologies and effective policy for integrated water and energy conservation.