Dr. Martínez-Force is a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and is head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plant Products of the Instituto de la Grasa. He has a degree and a Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Seville. Since 1995, his research has focused on the field of the metabolism of plant lipids, and more specifically on the genetic, biochemical, and molecular characterization of the fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic pathways in sunflower. His work has led to the publication of more than 80 research articles and book chapters, participation in the development of 9 licensed international patents, and the supervision of 12 doctoral theses related to this field.
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Dr. Dunford’s experience as an engineer and scientist encompasses over 30 years, including positions in Turkey, Canada, and the United States. She is currently a professor at Oklahoma State University in the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department. Dr. Dunford is also on staff at the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center as the oil and oilseed specialist. She has a BS in chemical engineering, MS in chemistry, Master of Engineering in Food Process Engineering and a Ph.D. in Food Processing/Engineering. She is a registered professional engineer and a certified food scientist, and she is active in several professional organizations including AOCS and IFT in the United States.
Dr. Dunford is internationally known for her research in food, oil, oilseed, microalgae, and bioprocessing. Her research focuses on improving existing and developing new bioprocessing technologies, examining potential of nonfood biomass as biofuel and bioproduct feedstocks, and advancing utilization of byproducts and waste streams for biofuel production and value-added product development. She has established herself as a leading expert in utilization of environmentally benign techniques for edible oil processing focusing on extraction, refining, and value-added product development from vegetable oil and food industry byproducts. Her research has led to collaborations with scholars from South Africa, Sweden, South Korea, Iraq, Mexico, China, Austria, and Turkey.
Dr. Salas got his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Seville in 1994 and his Ph.D. from the same university in 1999. Then, he was a postdoc at Michigan State University, where he participated in biotechnology projects in collaboration with Dow Chemical Co. In 2002, he joined the Spanish CSIC, first as a hired researcher and then as a permanent one. There he has participated in several projects on chemistry of oils and biochemistry of sunflower. His research focuses on the production of oils with new applications in the food industry.
