Nigerian PhD Student Ikenna Okehie Joins IFTSA Leadership Team

• Nigerian PhD pupil Ikenna Okehie has been elected arsenic a Member astatine Large of the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA)
• With a inheritance successful nutrient subject and technology, Okehie has studied astatine FUTA, UI, and Texas A&M, focusing connected sustainable nutrient innovation
• In an interview, helium shared insights connected his journey, enactment vision, and the aboriginal of nutrient science, highlighting Africa’s relation successful planetary nutrient technology

Ikenna Okehie, a Nigerian PhD pupil astatine Texas A&M University, has been elected arsenic a Member astatine Large of the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) for the 2025-2026 term.

His predetermination marks a important milestone, not conscionable for him but for the increasing beingness of African scholars successful planetary nutrient science leadership.

Ikenna graduated from Nigeria's premier tertiary institution, the University of Ibadan earlier proceeding to Belgium and the United States.
Source: Instagram

A postgraduate of the Federal University of Technology Akure and the University of Ibadan, Okehie’s world travel has taken him crossed continents—from Nigeria to Belgium and present the United States.

With a probe absorption connected sustainable nutrient innovation and merchandise development, helium is passionate astir advancing nutrient subject to code planetary challenges.

Ikenna shares challenging acquisition to the summit

In an interrogation pursuing his election, Okehie shared his thoughts connected the travel truthful far, the value of this achievement, and his imaginativeness for the aboriginal of nutrient science. Here’s what helium had to say:

Can you archer america astir your travel into nutrient science? What sparked your involvement successful the field?

My world travel began astatine the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), wherever I was enrolled successful a pre-degree programme to survey Electrical and Electronics Engineering. During that time, I crossed paths with a tutorial teacher who introduced maine to the tract of nutrient science. Our conversations piqued my curiosity, and the much I learned from her, the much intrigued I became. What stood retired to maine was however nutrient subject merges disciplines similar chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and nutrition to code real-world nutrient challenges—from improving nutrient information and prime to processing innovative and sustainable nutrient processes and products. This goes beyond the communal misconception, particularly successful Nigeria, that nutrient subject is simply astir cooking. In reality, it’s a technological tract that plays a captious relation successful nationalist health, nutrient security, and planetary sustainability. That aboriginal vulnerability led maine to alteration my people of survey to Food Science, and it has been a profoundly rewarding way ever since.

How did your acquisition astatine the University of Ibadan, FUTA, and Texas A&M signifier your position connected nutrient technology?

At FUTA, I was privileged to larn nether the mentorship of Prof. F. O. Oshundahunsi, Prof. A. A. Badejo, and Mrs. Esther Alabi. Despite constricted laboratory resources, they recovered innovative ways to marque learning applicable and impactful, giving maine a coagulated instauration successful nutrient science. The University of Ibadan strengthened my quality to transportation retired autarkic research, a accomplishment that has been captious to my maturation arsenic a scientist. Later on, my acquisition astatine Ghent University successful Belgium, wherever I worked intimately with Dr. Daylan and Ms. An Li, further expanded my perspective. It was done their guidance and mentorship that I was introduced to the emerging conception of Future Foods, peculiarly insect-based nutrient systems. That exposure, on with my clip astatine Wageningen University successful the Netherlands, importantly influenced the absorption of my research. Currently, astatine Texas A&M University, I’m continuing to turn nether the mentorship of Dr. Reza Ovissipour. He has been instrumental successful guiding my probe and connecting maine to cutting-edge innovations and interdisciplinary collaborations that widen acold beyond the laboratory. These cumulative experiences person not lone broadened my knowing of nutrient subject but besides sharpened my resoluteness to lend meaningfully to planetary nutrient systems.

What inspired you to prosecute a PhD successful Food Science and Technology?

For arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember, I’ve had a beardown passionateness for academia and research. After completing my studies, I explored roles successful the nutrient industry, moving successful areas similar accumulation and prime control. While those experiences were valuable, I recovered them unfulfilling—I knew I wanted to beryllium successful a abstraction wherever I could inquire questions, research ideas, and make innovative solutions. Unfortunately, I wasn’t capable to unafraid a presumption successful a probe and improvement (R&D) department, which further confirmed my tendency to instrumentality to academia. Pursuing a PhD felt similar a earthy step—not conscionable to beforehand my knowledge, but to prosecute successful meaningful probe that tin lend to solving real-world nutrient challenges.

What does being elected arsenic a Member astatine Large for IFTSA mean to you?

Being elected arsenic a Member astatine Large for IFTSA is profoundly meaningful to me—not conscionable arsenic an individual, but arsenic a Nigerian and an African pupil successful the planetary nutrient subject space. It feels similar a designation of the travel I’ve been on, the challenges I’ve overcome, and the dependable I bring to the table. Coming from a inheritance wherever entree to planetary opportunities isn’t ever guaranteed, this relation gives maine the accidental to correspond students from regions that are often underrepresented. It’s besides a reminder that our ideas, contributions, and perspectives are invaluable connected the satellite stage. On a idiosyncratic level, it affirms my content successful inclusive enactment and successful the powerfulness of mentorship, thing that has guided maine passim my world life.

How bash you spot your relation successful IFTSA contributing to the aboriginal of nutrient science?

I spot my relation successful IFTSA arsenic a bridge—connecting students from antithetic regions, backgrounds, and experiences to a planetary speech astir the aboriginal of food. Food subject is evolving rapidly, and it’s important that students from each parts of the world, including Africa, are portion of shaping that future. Through this role, I anticipation to beforehand much inclusive pupil engagement, item underrepresented innovations, and foster collaborations that spell beyond borders. We can’t lick planetary nutrient problems with isolated solutions—we request collaboration crossed cultures, disciplines, and borders.

What are your cardinal priorities oregon goals successful this caller enactment position?

One of my cardinal priorities is to make much opportunities for meaningful engagement among nutrient subject students globally—especially those from regions wherever entree to resources, networks, and visibility is limited. I privation to enactment connected initiatives that beforehand mentorship, showcase pupil probe from antithetic backgrounds, and summation consciousness of planetary opportunities specified arsenic conferences, grants, and collaborations. My extremity is to assistance students consciousness seen, heard, and supported. Ultimately, I privation my clip successful this relation to lend to a much connected and inclusive pupil assemblage wrong IFTSA.

How bash you program to enactment and link students from antithetic parts of the world, particularly Africa?

I judge 1 of the astir effectual ways to enactment students—especially from Africa—is done visibility, access, and connection. I program to advocator for platforms wherever students can stock their research, ideas, and challenges, whether done webinars, online showcases, oregon spotlight features wrong IFTSA. Many African students are doing innovative enactment with constricted resources, and their stories merit to beryllium portion of the planetary nutrient subject narrative. I besides privation to assistance span the accusation spread by sharing resources connected scholarships, internships, and mentorship programs that students mightiness not beryllium alert of. Ultimately, it's astir creating spaces wherever students consciousness included, empowered, and inspired to collaborate crossed borders

Your probe focuses connected sustainable nutrient innovation and insect-derived nutrient ingredients. Can you stock much astir this?

My probe focuses connected the biomanufacturing of nutrient ingredients utilizing edible insects arsenic caller and sustainable sources. Similar to plants and animals, insects are affluent successful protein, oil, and different indispensable nutrients needed for quality wellness and survival. However, what makes them peculiarly promising is their debased biology footprint—they necessitate importantly less resources to grow, making them a viable solution successful the combat against nutrient and nutritional insecurity. In my research, I research antithetic processing techniques to person insect biomass into usable ingredients, portion besides conducting information assessments and investigating the wellness benefits of these ingredients. Beyond extraction, I’m besides funny successful however these ingredients tin beryllium applied successful existent nutrient systems to heighten functionality and nutrition.

What imaginable bash you spot successful insect-based nutrient arsenic a sustainable solution?

Insect-based nutrient holds tremendous imaginable arsenic a sustainable solution to planetary nutrient and nutrition challenges. Edible insects are highly businesslike successful converting provender into protein, necessitate minimal onshore and water, and emit acold less greenhouse gases compared to accepted livestock. This makes them a promising alternate successful the look of increasing colonisation unit and biology concerns. Beyond sustainability, edible insects are nutritionally dense—rich successful proteins, steadfast fats, vitamins, and minerals. With the close processing techniques, they tin beryllium transformed into versatile nutrient ingredients suitable for a wide scope of applications. The cardinal lies successful making them acceptable and accessible. Through science-driven approaches, we tin unlock their afloat imaginable and integrate them into much mainstream nutrient systems—especially successful regions wherever nutrient information remains a pressing issue.

What are immoderate challenges facing nutrient scientists today, and however bash you deliberation they tin beryllium addressed?

One of the large challenges successful nutrient subject contiguous is bridging the spread betwixt innovation and user acceptance. While subject is advancing rapidly—with developments successful alternate proteins, functional ingredients, and sustainable processing—many of these innovations conflict to summation nationalist spot owed to unfamiliarity oregon taste resistance. Another important obstruction is the deficiency of wide and accordant regulations successful immoderate countries, peculiarly astir caller foods similar edible insects. Without established nutrient information guidelines oregon support frameworks, consumers are often hesitant to judge these products, perceiving them arsenic unsafe. Strengthening regulatory systems and ensuring transparency volition beryllium cardinal to gathering spot and facilitating adoption. Additionally, entree to probe resources bounds the quality of scientists to lend meaningfully to planetary nutrient innovation. Addressing these gaps done concern successful education, infrastructure, and planetary collaboration is essential. Ultimately, tackling these challenges volition necessitate not lone technological excellence but besides inclusive policies, effectual communication, and beardown partnerships betwixt academia, industry, and government.

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Source: Legit.ng