Food Hackathon 2026
We are thrilled to welcome a diverse group of mentors, judges, and speakers who bring a wealth of experience knowledge to the event. Industry leaders, professors, founders, and experts are here to guide participants, share valuable insights, and evaluate groundbreaking ideas. Get ready to learn from the best and take your skills to the next level. Check the Weekend Schedule for mentoring hours. If you see them, say hello!
Matthew Abraham PhD
Assistant Director
Tata Cornell Institute
Valeria Acquarone PhD '01
Open Innovation Lead
Ferrero
Rajni Aneja MS '85, MBA
Managing Director
Cornell Institute for Food Systems
Deepthi Sara Anil PhD
Post Doc Associate
Tata-Cornell Institute
Terry Bates MS '18, PhD '23
CEO & Founder
Quantera Analytical
John Carter
Managing Partner
JumpRope Innovation
Robyn Carter '96
Founder & CEO
JumpRope Innovation
Chen Chang PhD
Asst Professor, Postharvest Technologies
Cornell AgriTech
Beth Chapin
Les & Adrienne Lawrence Food Science Innovation Specialist
Cornell CALS
Lauren Chin '29
Assistant
Cornell Hackathons
August Deimel MPS '10
Winemaker
Gallo
Laura DiLorenzo MBA
Food Technologist - Confections & Pharma
Takasago Intl Corp
Claudia Gerecke '16 MS
Tufts University
Jacob Herman MS
Sr Process Engineer
Great Lakes Cheese
Alayna Hernandez PhD '28
Organizational Behavior Researcher
Entrepreneurship at Cornell
Leslie Herzog '77, MS
VP Operations & Research Services
The Understanding & Insight Group LLC
Julie Hirsch '91, PhD
VP, Research & Development
fairlife
Jason Jacobs '97
VP QA & Technical Services
Beech-Nut Nutrition Company
Lucile Jarry MS
Sr R&D Manager
The Hain Celestial Group
Rohit Kapoor
Vice President - Product Research
Dairy Managment Inc
Merv Kosesoy MA, MS '26
Founder
LactiQ Intel
Annika Madler PhD '26
Sr Scientist, Protein Fortification
Ingredion
Nicole Martin '06, MS '11, PhD '18
Asst Research Professor, Director - Milk Quality Improvement Program
CALS Food Science
Matt Marx MBA, PhD
Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and External Engagement
Cornell University
Taro Matsuoka MS
Director of Plant Operations
San-J
Michelle McBride
Founder & CEO
GoodSport Nutrition
Sumedha Minocha MS '22, PhD '26
Post Doc Associate
Tata-Cornell Institute
Raquel Morehouse BS '21
Sr Analyst, CIMR Flavor
Takasago Intl Corp
Natsumi Okajima
Product Development Technician
San-J
Blake Paris
VP of Innovation
Major Products Co, Inc.
Rose Pember '16, MS
Design & Strategy Faculty, Parson's New School of Design
Entrepreneurship at Cornell
Amanda Pitman MUP, MS
Program Manager, Dairy Innovation Initiatives
CREA
Dr Lara Ramdin
Upcycled Food Foundation
Silvia Robles MBA
VP Global Innovation & Growth Platforms
Dairy Managment Inc
Gavin Sacks '01, PhD '05
Chair, Food Science, Cornell CALS,
Faculty Director CIFS
Keith Seiz
Strategy Director
The National Honey Board
Viral Shukla PhD '25
Post Doc
Cornell CALS
Jenn Smith
Director, Food & Ag Innovation Programs
CREA
Ami Stuart '10, MS '23
Director - Hackathons,
Lecturer - Dyson
Entrepreneurship at Cornell
John Tauzel '03, MBA '12
Entrepreneur in Residence
CREA
Cristina Terrones '29
Assistant
Cornell Hackathons
Tushar MEng '14
Sr Software Engineer
Entrepreneurship at Cornell
Gerhard Ufeil
Director External Development
NPTC Nestle Health Science
Leslie Verteramo Chiu PhD '13
Professor, JCB
Tata Cornell Institute
Satoru Wada
Assistant Manager of Process Control
San-J
Zhixin Wang MS '18 PhD '22
Food Technology Research Manager
Puratos
Lucas Wise MS '22
Founder & Principal
Untapped Ventures