Food Hackathon 2025
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!
Valeria Acquarone PhD '01
Open Innovation Lead
Ferrero
Amber Adams MFA, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Siena Development
Rajni Aneja MS '85, MBA
Managing Director
Cornell Institute for Food Systems
Terry Bates MS '18, PhD '23
CEO & Founder
Quantera Analytical
Barry Berman BA '73, MBA
Founder & CEO
IndieClime
John Carter
Managing Partner
JumpRope Innovation
Robyn Carter '96
Founder & CEO
JumpRope Innovation
Beth Chapin
Les & Adrienne Lawrence Food Science Innovation Specialist
Cornell CALS
Lauren Chin '29
Assistant
Cornell Hackathons
Alex De Leon '26
TA + Researcher + Hackathons
Entrepreneurship at Cornell
Paula Guerra PhD
S&T Lead, NA
Nestlé
Alayna Hernandez PhD '28
Organizational Behavior Researcher
Entrepreneurship at Cornell
Leslie Herzog '77, MS
VP Operations & Research Services
The Understanding & Insight Group LLC
Kathy Hovis MA
Writer & Podcast Host
Cornell A&S
Jason Jacobs '97
VP QA & Technical Services
Beech-Nut Nutrition Company
Stephen Jin
Director
Shanghai Gona-Semi
Jodi Kahn
Chief Innovator & Brand Strategist
Dairy Managment Inc
Rohit Kapoor
Vice President - Product Research
Dairy Managment Inc
Shravan Lad AEM '27
Photography + Videography
Cornell Hackathons
Brian Lucas PhD
Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior
Cornell University - ILR
Kylee Mai MS
Principal Technologist
Ingredion
Nicole Martin '06, MS '11, PhD '18
Asst Research Professor, Director - Milk Quality Improvement Program
CALS Food Science
Michelle McBride
Founder & CEO
GoodSport Nutrition
Mitsunori Mito
Sr Director of Plant Operations
San-J International
Margaux Mora PhD '23
Assoc. Texture Solutions, Global Applications
Ingredion Inc.
Bruce Pan '99, PhD '06
Chemistry Research Director
Gallo
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
Joe Regenstein '65, MS '66, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Cornell University
Gavin Sacks '01, PhD '05
Chair, Food Science, Cornell CALS,
Faculty Director CIFS
Takashi Sato
President
San-J International
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
Elad Tako PhD
Associate Professor
Cornell CALS
John Tauzel '03, MBA '12
Entrepreneur in Residence
CREA
Cristina Terrones '29
Assistant
Cornell Hackathons
Tushar MEng '14
Sr Software Engineer
Entrepreneurship at Cornell
Praveen Upreti PhD
Manager-S&T Digital Lab Solutions
Nestlé
Leslie Verteramo Chiu PhD '13
Professor, JCB
Tata Cornell Institute
Zhixin Wang MS '18 PhD '22
Food Technology Research Manager
Puratos
John Zuccarello
Chief Innovation Officer
Siena Development