Matthew Teegarden Ph.D. – Leading collaboration in food nutrition science research (#91)

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About Matthew Teegarden

On today’s episode, we discuss what a senior researcher does, the difficulties of collaboration in research, and figuring out what you enjoy. Matthew Teesgarden, Ph.D., is a Senior Researcher who provides strategic leadership for all scientific operations and communications in the Ohio State Foods for Health research initiative. FFH is focused on helping researchers work collaboratively to discover new ways in which food can enhance health. Matt completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Ohio State University.

Things mentioned in this episode:

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

• CareersNow! is Food and Beverage Ontario’s multi-year workforce development initiative that is connecting students and job seekers with employers in Ontario’s food and beverage processing industry for exciting career opportunities. Check out CareersNow.ca for more information on exciting jobs, career information, industry mentors and training opportunities for professional development.

Other things we mentioned in this episode:

• Ohio State Foods for Health Research Initiative
• The Lancet Study on Diet and Health
• Matt Teagarden on LinkedIn
• Tasting Columbus
• IFT Food Disruptors Podcast
• IFT Career Center

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:22 Matt’s career journey
• 6:48 Matt explains what a senior researcher does
• 12:08 Ohio State’s Food for Health Initiative
• 23:00 How Matt learns about different disciplines
• 27:30 Attending talks as a student
• 31:10 Why Matt loves science communication
• 43:56 How to figure out if you enjoy graduate science
• 47:16 Matt’s experience with IFT

Matthew Teegarden Quotes

But my training basis is food chemistry. So I’m very steeped in analytical chemistry, especially when it comes to food, but I use that as a tool to understand how food relates to health. – Matt Teegarden 

Everyone eats. The diet has profound effects on health. It makes sense that diet would be a huge risk factor for disease, but to understand this relationship on a more itemized level, we need an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach from farm to fork to clinic to the community. –Matt Teegarden 

Having a sound scientific background allows you to at least read and somewhat digest papers and get the gist of a field. But knowing how to translate between disciplines, like getting a horticulture professor and a food science professor to understand each other, is key. – Matt Teegarden 

So I had done a couple of internships, I did a lot of undergrad research and then by the time I was in grad school I was like I can’t convince myself that I want to go to medical school. I want to do food science for the rest of my life. – Matt Teegarden 

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