Principal Investigator
Denise Skonberg
Denise Skonberg is Professor of Food Science in the School of Food and Agriculture. She earned a BS in Animal Science (focus on Aquaculture) from UC Davis, an MS in Food Science from the University of Washington, and a PhD in Fisheries, also from the University of Washington. Before graduate school, she served as a fisheries extension agent in Thailand with the U.S. Peace Corps. At the University of Maine, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in food science, including Food Chemistry, Food Biotechnology, Contemporary Issues in the Food Industry, Utilization of Aquatic Food Products, and Food Product Development, the capstone course for undergraduates.
Dr. Skonberg’s research program focuses on improving the economic and environmental sustainability of seafood processing through the development of healthful, value-added food products. Seafood products currently under investigation range from crustaceans, to mollusks, to farm-raised seaweeds. Her lab group is evaluating the application of novel technologies, such as high hydrostatic pressure, in the development of nutritious, safe, and high quality foods with extended shelf life. Other current projects focus on the development and characterization of high value ingredients and food products from the invasive green crab and from locally produced seaweeds. Dr. Skonberg is enthusiastic about the opportunities to work with Maine’s growing aquaculture and food industries, and to contribute to the training of a new generation of researchers. In her free time she enjoys rock climbing, growing fruits and vegetables, and road-tripping with her husband, John.
Graduate Students
Adoum Fadaya Arabi
Adoum earned an engineering degree in agronomic sciences with a specialty in food science at the University of Blida in Algeria. At that time, he worked on the formulation and shelf life stability of a juice made from the African baobab’s fruit pulp and graduated in 2014. He then returned to Chad where he worked for two years in a vegetable oil extraction and refining plant. Afterwards, he worked in a beverages company producing sodas and bottled drinking water. Currently, Adoum is pursuing his M.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition. His research focuses on extracting proteins from spent barley and evaluating their functional properties to facilitate their utilization as human food ingredients. He loves to visit production lines to watch how food science principles are applied on a large scale. In his spare time, he enjoys reading self-help books, playing soccer, watching documentaries, and keeping touch with family and friends.
Mallory Perry
Mallory earned her B.S. in Culinary Science from Johnson & Wales University in 2021. After graduation, Mallory worked in quality assurance for 2 years at a squid processing facility. Currently, Mallory is pursuing her Master’s in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Maine. Her M.S. research focuses on waste reduction in the North Atlantic squid fishery. The objective is to create a value-added product utilizing squid wings, a common byproduct in the North Atlantic squid fishery. Additionally, she will assess the quality of squid wings throughout a 6-month shelf life study and evaluate the impacts of species and processing methods. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, caring for her houseplants, and spending time with friends.
Undergraduate Students
Alex Pierce
Alex is an undergraduate working towards a B.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition. He is currently assisting with the processing and evaluation of frozen squid wings. In his free time he loves playing violin, hiking, and crocheting.
Past Students
Caitlin Hillery
Caitlin earned her B.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Maine in 2021 with a minor in Sustainable Food Systems, and her MS in 2023. Her M.S. research studied how post-harvest processing and freezing treatments affect the physicochemical qualities of two species of North Atlantic squid. Caitlin now works as a research assistant in the Matthew Highlands Pilot Plant, contributing to food product development projects for a variety of Maine and New England companies. In her spare time, she loves hiking, baking, and discovering new music.
Sara Gundermann
Sara Gundermann was born and raised in Palmyra, Pennsylvania. She earned her B.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Maine in 2022, and her M.S. in 2023. Sara’s graduate research investigated the effects of temperature and acid pretreatment on sous vide processed mussels as well as consumer acceptability of marinated mussels. She is currently working in product development at Scott and Jon’s, producers of frozen seafood entrees in southern Maine. In her free time she enjoys baking, dancing, and spending time with friends.
Samuel Akomea-Frempong
Samuel earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food science from Kwame University of Science and Technology in Ghana, and his Ph.D. in Food and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Maine (2022). His research focused on shelf life extension and developing value-added food products from farm-raised seaweed. Dr. Akomea-Frempong currently works with Mars Pet Care in Nebraska where he ensures that FDA regulations, certification requirements and Global Mars Inc standards are implemented and followed to ensure that safe, high quality products are produced for customers. Samuel Akomea-Frempong’s LInkedin page
Holly Leung
Holly was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her B.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Maine in 2020 where she also minored in Innovative Engineering and Sustainable Agriculture. For her M.S., Holly investigated the feasibility of producing a novel fermented fish-sauce like condiment from the invasive green crab. She currently works as a product development scientist at Acme Smoked Fish in NYC.
Sami Humaid
Sami Humaid received a B.Sc. in Food Science and Fish Technology from Hadhramout University in Yemen, and an M.Sc. in Marine Science from King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia. He received his Ph.D. in Food and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Maine in 2020. His work focused on combining moderate HPP pressures with sous-vide processing of lobster tails. Dr. Humaid is currently an Assistant Professor at Hadhramout University. He likes swimming, cooking, and is interested in animal behavior.
Bouhee Kang
Bouhee Kang received a B.Sc. in Biotechnology from Hannam University in South Korea, a M.Sc. in Food Science from Framingham State University in Massachusetts, and her Ph.D. in Food and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Maine. Her PhD research focused on green crab protein and its functional properties for food systems and human health. Dr. Kang is a food scientist at Eat Just Inc in San Francisco, California, where she works on GOOD Meat branded products.
Charlie Giammarco
Charlie, originally from Massachusetts, received a B.S. in the Food Science program with a minor in microbiology. His undergraduate research focused on the utilization of seaweed extracts to enhance the flavor profile of reduced sodium processed foods. He is currently working as a R&D Food Technologist at Stonewall Kitchen, creators of specialty foods.
Dhriti Nayyar
Dhriti obtained a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from North Carolina State University and M.S. (’16) and doctorate (’19) degrees in Food and Nutrition Sciences from the University of Maine. For her Ph.D. research, she evaluated the application of high pressure processing and sous-vide cooking on scallops. Dr. Nayyar is currently working as a Project Leader at Orchard Brands in Mumbai, India.
Jonelo Sobreguel
Jonelo was a Fulbright scholar when he entered University of Maine in 2013 and obtained a Masters in Food Science and Human Nutrition in 2015. His MS focused on quality evaluation of sous-vide processed scallops. He went back to the Philippines in 2015 and was hired by Friesland Campina as Associate Manager for Quality Assurance. After several years he moved back to the U.S. and is currently working as a Quality Assurance Specialist at Novo Nordisk. Jonelo is married to Cyla and they love outdoor activities, sports, scuba diving, beach visits and most importantly, to try out new restaurants.Sarah Fader
Sarah received her B.S. in Marine Biology from Maine Maritime Academy and M.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Maine. For her M.S. research, she developed seaweed sauerkraut where she evaluated different seaweed species, shelf-life, and consumer acceptability of the product. She grew up in Vermont and she is now working for a food and beverage ingredient company in Virginia.
Brianna Hughes
Dr. Brianna Hughes holds Food Science degrees from McGill University and the University of Maine. She completed her graduate work under the mentorship of Dr. Denise Skonberg and together they worked on projects ranging from fish oil fortification to high pressure processing of seafood. Dr. Hughes currently works at The Town Dock, a family owned vertically integrated seafood company in Rhode Island which specializes in calamari. In her role leading the Quality, R&D, and Sourcing Strategy department, Dr. Hughes is responsible for setting long-term strategy, establishing research partnerships, and maintaining quality from catch to consumer. In her down time she keeps honey bees and loves to garden, travel, and try new foods.
Juliana Puskar
As an undergraduate, Juliana worked on carotenoid extraction from crustaceans in the Seafood Lab and received her B.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition in 2019. She currently works in Quality Assurance for B&G Foods.
Michael Murphy
Michael obtained a B.Sc. in Aquaculture Science and a Master’s in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Maine. Michael’s Master’s work focused on crustacean by-product utilization. He has over 15 years of experience in Food Quality Assurance and Food Research & Development in Maine’s Food industry, and currently works as a QA Specialist at Schlotterbeck and Foss, in Portland, Maine. He likes to spend free time with family, hiking, running or just enjoying the outdoors.