Driving innovation through uncommon collaboration
OUR VISION
To accelerate deployment of products or processes that enable safe, sustainable and secure nutrition for all.
OUR MISSION
To catalyze and support uncommon collaborations that address global nutritional challenges.
Who we are…
IIFH is a premiere innovation institute at UC Davis focused on developing and deploying breakthrough solutions to global issues across the food system. Our research and funding network spans faculty and students from a myriad of academic disciplines, and strategic industry, finance and technology partners.
What we do…
IIFH nurtures and accelerates innovation through industry-academic collaborations and experiential learning programs. Focused on tackling the most pressing food system challenges, IIFH harnesses strategic partnerships, provides research funding and hosts convening events at the interface of food, ag and health.
How we do it…
By bridging the gap between sectors and disciplines, IIFH advances new technologies, products and processes along the entire innovation continuum, from research to commercialization. Our Request For Innovation (RFI) funding call, Innovator Fellowships and evolving strategic programs work to extend ideas beyond proof‐of‐concept to scalable application and impact.
Justin B. Siegel
As a UC Davis Associate Professor in Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Dr. Siegel’s scientific focus is the design and discovery of enzymes relevant to issues in modern society – from treating Celiac disease to optimizing biofuel production and food system sustainability. As the IIFH Faculty Director, he works with academic and industry groups in building a vibrant translational research ecosystem across the food sector.
Kyeema L. Zerbe
With a passion for developing and deploying innovation at scale across natural resource management, health care, agriculture and food systems, Ms. Zerbe integrates academic and industry approaches into operational success. As the IIFH Associate Director, she builds on fifteen years of international innovation management with industry sectors, governments, investors and academies to design interdisciplinary programs that advance innovation across the food system.
Elizabeth Wagstaff
Elizabeth recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition from UC Davis, and joined the IIFH as interim Program Administrator. Over the past three years, she has worked for the UC Davis Human Resources Department and served as a Reproductive Health Educator at a local health clinic. Elizabeth is excited to continue her work with the campus by assisting the Institute’s internal and external innovation partners on programming.
Kit Duggan
Kit is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at UC Davis. He is a practiced copywriter and educator with expertise in social media marketing and online publishing. Strong communication skills include event promotion, multi-media content creation, copy-editing, video production, and targeted distribution of multi-media content on a variety of online platforms.
Samuel Utomo
Samuel is working on a Bachelor of Science degree with Food Science & Technology at UC Davis. Since joining the IIFH team, Samuel has supported program development, communications, and digital marketing through data-driven approaches and design. He is passionate about filmmaking and is currently the Vice President of the Davis Filmmaking Society.
Nealah Lee
Nealah is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Design at UC Davis, with minors in Nutrition Science and Technology Management. Prior to joining the IIFH team, Nealah worked as a Student Assistant for the UC Davis Registrar’s Office and as a Marketing Director for HackDavis. Her experience and passion drive exploration of the role for technology and design in the future global food system.
