Hans Kaunitz Award

Dr. Zixuan Gu earned his Ph.D. in the Program of Cereal and Food Science at the Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University (NDSU). He holds a Master's degree in Food Engineering from Jiangnan University and a Master's in Food Development from the University of Turku, both completed in 2018. His doctoral research at NDSU has been driven by a deep passion for understanding the complexities of flavor generation and development during barley malting, utilizing cutting-edge flavoromics and sensomics approaches.

With a strong foundation in flavor chemistry and technology, starch chemistry and technology, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, and statistics, Dr. Gu is determined to push the boundaries of food science. His unwavering ambition is to become a foremost expert in the fields of cereal science, flavor chemistry, and foodomics, while making significant contributions to both academic and industrial advancements. Motivated by an unyielding desire to impact the world of food science, Dr. Gu strives to be a trailblazer and a respected leader, bridging the gap between groundbreaking research and practical industry applications.

Currently, Anto is a Ph.D. candidate in the Food Ingredients and Biopolymers Laboratory led by Dr. Jiajia Rao at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, North Dakota. His research is focused on improving the bioavailability and chemical stability of cannabidiol (CBD) using hemp protein-based delivery vehicles and analyzing the impact of agricultural production systems on CBD biosynthesis in plants. Anto has published 18 scientific articles and won 45 awards from various organizations for his research, academics, and leadership excellence. He holds several leadership positions in organizations, including the AOCS, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), International Association of Food Protection (IAFP), and Phi Tau Sigma. In AOCS, he serves as a communications leader in the student common interest group and as a student representative in the Proteins and Co-Products division. In addition, he has organized and moderated AOCS career path events. Anto is passionate about pursuing an academic career with research focused on protein chemistry, nutraceuticals, food packaging, and non-thermal food processing.