Daniel Unruh is the most recent addition to the Iowa State Department of Animal Science as an assistant professor with a focus on meat science and food safety. With his extensive knowledge, research background, and industry experience, Iowa State is excited to welcome Unruh into the department and our meat science program. 
Unruh will focus on the reduction and elimination of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in fresh meat products, including investigations into factors that influence microbial attachment, resistance, and survival. He will also look at the control of pathogenic microorganisms in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products, including the evaluation of emerging antimicrobial solutions as well as USDA-prescribed cooking and cooling methods. Lastly, Unruh will dive into policy and scientific analysis of domestic and international regulations pertaining to food safety and its ramifications for public health and trade.
“We are excited that Dr. Unruh is joining our team of faculty in the Department of Animal Science. Danny brings excellent perspectives from the industry that will be valuable to our students in his classroom. He also has a strong understanding of the issues affecting meat safety coupled to the research ability to work towards developing important information and solutions for our stakeholders,” said Jason Ross, animal science department chair.
Receiving his undergraduate degree at Kansas State University, Unruh studied food science and industry, and political science. He then pursued his master’s degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in food science and technology. Here, his research focused on the destruction of E. coli by heat and high pressure. Unruh returned to Kansas State for his Ph.D. work in food science and industry and focused his research on food safety challenges as well as policy frameworks when it comes to E. coli and Salmonella. Unruh received the Outstanding Food Science Graduate Student Award for his work.
Most recently, Unruh has worked for Corbion North America, a food and biochemicals company, in Lenexa, Kansas, as a senior scientist in microbiology. In this role, he oversaw the designing and executing of projects that impact several food categories. He also served as a subject-matter expert on, food spoilage microorganisms, foodborne pathogens, and shelf-life extension of fresh and RTE meat products.
Unruh expressed his excitement to be at Iowa State. “I am thrilled to join the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University, a department renowned for cutting-edge research, accomplished faculty, and energetic students. Food safety continues to be a formidable challenge, and it will take the efforts of industry, government, and academia to find pathways forward to identify and develop solutions for meat safety. I look forward to working with fellow faculty and students to enhance the safety of meat products, finding implementable practices for the industry, and sound policy recommendations for regulatory authorities. Additionally, I am excited to be back in the classroom teaching the future leaders of tomorrow,” said Unruh.