Supporting early career scientists and engineers in the future of food
Goal: The vision of the program is to support sustainable food systems using knowledge of science. The program provides funding support as well as training for early career scientists, including networking and mentorship opportunities that will support them in their future careers. The goal of the 2024 Future of Food Fellows program is to create a community of mission-driven, passionate professionals with a shared vision to make cellular agriculture a feasible complement for animal protein production through scientific research. The Future of Food Fellows are the next generation of leaders in the field.
The 2024-25 Future Food Fellows
Erika López-Lara (she/her) is a graduate student in Chemistry in Professor Paul Weiss’ group, where she is studying the development of sustainable scaffolds for cellular agriculture. Erika received her bachelor’s degree in Nanotechnology and Chemical Sciences from Tecnologico de Monterrey and her dual master’s in Materials Science from University of Montpellier and University of Turin. Fun facts: Erika is a Fulbright Scholar; Founder of the Worldwide Education in Environmental Development and Sustainability (W.E.E.D.S), an NGO based in Mexico that aims to make sustainability accessible for everyone; and climate leader and mentor for people in Mexico and the United States at the Climate Reality Project.
Justine Kim is a second-year law student at UCLA School of Law and is interested in learning about transactional and regulatory law in the food and health industries. Justine has a bachelor’s degree in English from University of California, Riverside. Fun facts: Justine is the Co-Chair of the Food Law Society at UCLA Law and looks forward to spreading awareness about the exciting depths of food law and policy.
Maria Trubetskaya (they/them) is a third year law student at the UCLA School of Law, specializing in Critical Race Studies and Environmental Law. Under direct supervision of Professor Diana Winters, the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy, and Professor Amy Rowat, Maria is researching potential regulatory and legal hurdles for cellular agriculture. They have a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from the University of Denver where they majored in International Studies and Public Policy and minored in Political Science and Economics. Fun fact: Maria is Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Environmental Law and Policy.
Ceci (Rebecca) Cohen (she/her) is a graduate student in Bioengineering in Professor Amy Rowat’s group, where she is identifying ways to accelerate the growth of cultivated adipose tissue. Ceci has a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Biology from University of California, Berkeley. Fun facts: Ceci has worked previously in a vineyard and brings real-life experience in fermentation to her research in cultivated meat. She was also a member of the Cal Dance Team while at UC Berkeley.
Corinne Smith (she/her) is a graduate student in Bioengineering in Professor Amy Rowat’s group, where she is discovering how to accelerate the growth of muscle tissue for cultivated meat applications. Corinne received her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Fun facts: Corinne is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship awardee and enjoys sewing and crochet.
The Mentors:
Dr. Stephanie Kawecki (she/her) is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology. She studies how physical cues provided by cell scaffolds can be harnessed to accelerate adipocyte differentiation for cultured meat applications in the Rowat lab. Stephanie received her BS in Biology and MS in Environmental Science both at Loyola Marymount University and her PhD in Bioengineering at UCLA. Fun fact: Stephanie began engaging in activism at the early age of 9 by handing out pamphlets to her fellow 4th grade classmates to raise awareness on the issues of factory farming.
Dr. Daniel Rosenfeld (he/him) is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychology at UCLA, where he studies consumer attitudes toward vegetarianism, cultivated meat, and conventional meat. Daniel has a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Cornell University and a PhD in Psychology from UCLA. Fun fact: Daniel is also a professional table tennis player and a craft chocolate aficionado.