Jiajia Rao
Principal Investigator
Phone:
Email:
Address:
Peltier 3108G, NDSU
Fargo, ND 58102
Associations:
IFT
AOCS
ACS
Dr. Jiajia Rao earned her Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2013. She is currently an Associate Professor of Food Ingredients Technology at North Dakota State University (NDSU). Prior to joining NDSU, she worked as a beverage application senior scientist at PepsiCo Inc. in Valhalla, NY for three years. Dr. Rao has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles with over 12,000 citations. She has been recognized among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists since 2021. Since joining the institution in 2016, she has secured over $2 million in research funding as principal investigator. Her scholarly and service achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, and she has received several prestigious awards including the most recent 2023 Larson/Yaggie Excellence in Research Award at NDSU and American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Young Scientist Award (2022).
Work Experience
July 2022 - present
March 2016 - June 2022
August 2013 - February 2016
May 2013 - July 2013
August 2013 - February 2016
Associate Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University Fargo, ND.
Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University Fargo, ND.
Senior Scientist, PepsiCo Inc, Valhalla, NY.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA.
Assistant Professor, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, China.
Highlights
A productive researcher with significant citation recognition
Food science professor with three years of industrial R&D experience
A well-recognized scholar in the field
Funding
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Toward a Comprehensive Understanding of Pulse Proteins and Their Fractions as Affected by Food Processing.
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Fusarium Mycotoxins Management in Sprouted Cereal Grains.
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Develop Complementary Pulse Proteins for Improving Nutritional Quality and Functionality of Pulse Proteins.
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Understanding Mechanism of Actions of Fractionated Flavor Oil Nanoemulsions for Mycotoxin Mitigation During Food Processing.
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Bridging the Technical Gaps to Increase Profitability of Dry Bean Production in North Dakota.
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Essential Oil Nanoemulsion to Control of Mycotoxin Production in Cereals.
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Pulse Proteins: From Varieties and Processing to Structure-Function Relationships.
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Using Chitosan Nanoparticles Targeting Fusarium and Mycotoxins During the Malting.
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Improving the Functionality of Pulse Protein Isolate Through Co-Spray Drying with Emulsifying Salts.
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Modification of Pea Protein Isolate from Selected Dry Yellow Pea Cultivars Grown in North Dakota for Improved Flavor Profile.
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​​ U.S. Quality Grains Research Consortium
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Opportunities for Oil Crops from Farm to Table: A Case Study of Industrial Hempseeds to be as Functional Plant Protein Ingredient
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Impact of Germination on Aromatic Compounds and Beany Flavor of Yellow Pea Protein
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US QUALITY GRAINS CONSORTIUM
ND Corn Council
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Extraction and Characterization of Zein from DDGS and Modification for Food Application.
ND Soybean Council
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Modification of Insoluble Dietary Fiber in Soybean Residue Okara to Value-Added Soluble Dietary Fiber by Enzyme-Assisted Microfluidization.
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​ Northern Pulse Growers Association
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Improving Solubility and Dissolution Rate of Pea Protein for Beverage Application Using Solid Dispersion Technology.
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Ameri Flax Association
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Flaxseed Protein Isolate as Alternative Protein Source for New Food Application: Influence of Isolation Processing on Functional Properties of Flaxseed Protein Isolate.
