Alumni Spotlight
Liz Koenig (Clubbs), OSUN graduate, 2008
Current position – Sr. Food Technologist, Nestle Nutrition (Gerber Products)
I have been working with Nestle for the past 3 years as a product developer for the Gerber Graduates Meals line. I really enjoy creating products that are nutritionally relevant for a specific population. What I find most rewarding is after all this hard work, the products that I have been working on are on store shelves and I can share this with friends and family. Some of the most recent products I have launched are Breakfast Buddies, and Fruit and Veggie Pick Ups.
Some of the more challenging aspects of my career are tight deadlines, large team dynamics, and of course, the unexpected mishaps. However, learning to manage these comes with experience on the job.
OSUN has provided me with the intellectual knowledge to apply science, experimental design, and development approach to the work that I do today. Nutrition is more and more at the forefront of the food industry and it is great to have this background to apply this to the food science approach of product development. This cannot be more applicable working for infant nutrition as we are providing the foundation for healthy eating habits. However, we cannot lose sight of taste as products have superior nutrition but if it doesn’t taste good; our “picky” target consumer will not eat it. My food science and nutrition backgrounds allow me to combine the best of both worlds!
I really enjoyed working with my advisor, Josh Bomser, while at OSU. His demand for quality and results was a foundation in any PhD program and translated well in the food industry.