Food Protection and Defense: Animal Biosecurity

Multiple interactions can disrupt access to sufficient food, including natural disasters, economic collapse, human conflict, and, increasingly, infectious agents. Localized outbreaks can result in import/export bans, inflicting losses on producers and limiting many societies' access to animal-sourced proteins. Reducing losses due to disease and contamination must be addressed. These realities substantiate our NNF program Food Protection and Defense: Animal Biosecurity. Our evolving food animal biosecurity sciences require scientists who also understand our complex production systems. Fellowships will support training of three PhD scientists capable of applying their research acumen to improve the production, security, and safety of our animal food chains. Consistent with NNF Goal 1: Science Education, training emphasizes technical aptitude gained from PhD thesis research as well as deeper learning of food production systems, food safety and regulation, food policy, and leadership
skills. Through a Food Protection and Defense immersion, exploration of international food animal production systems, and deliberate leadership training, they will gain the applicable communication, teamwork, and project management skills employers increasingly demand. Graduates will be able to immediately translate new knowledge gained from research to emerging problems in food animal biosecurity because they are scientifically astute, can work across disciplines, have practical knowledge of global food systems, can inform policy, and are effective communicators with producers, fellow scientists, and the general public. This will enable PhD graduates to assume leadership positions in which they can conduct novel research and promote both animal-sourced food safety and food security, both nationally and globally.