Kumar Venkitanarayanan

CAHNR Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Professor

About

Dr. Venkitanarayanan worked as a Veterinarian in India for a year before pursuing his MS in Veterinary Science. He also worked as an Assistant Professor (Veterinary Public Health) at the Kerala Agricultural University, India for a year. Before taking up his current position at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Venkitanarayanan worked at the Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement, University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia as a Postdoctoral Research Associate for two years.

In the News

• $3.34 Million USDA Grant Supports Development of Organic Poultry Industry – UConn Today, August 2024
• Greening the Food Supply Chain: Developing Sustainable Food Systems through Interdisciplinary Collaboration – UConn Today, June 2024
• $10 Million USDA Poultry Sustainability Grant Making Progress on All Initiatives – UConn Today, May 2024
• CAHNR Graduate Research Forum Spotlights Innovative Work, Real-World Impact – UConn Today, May 2024
• RIVER signs pact with University of Connecticut in US – The Hindu, January 2024
• CAHNR Celebrates Record-Setting Year in Research Success – UConn Today, December 2023
• Venkitanarayanan Named Institute of Food Technologists Fellow – UConn Today, June 2021
• UConn Researcher to Lead New Sustainable Poultry Production Project – UConn Today, August 2020
• Probiotics Effective in Keeping Cantaloupes Safe to Eat – UConn Today, June 2018

Research Interests

• Understand the molecular mechanisms by which food-borne pathogens tolerate and survive adverse environmental stresses encountered in nature, foods, and in hosts.
• Inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms in foods using novel food-grade antimicrobials, and studying their mechanism of action.
• Development of molecular methods for rapid detection of food-borne microorganisms.

Hobbies/Non-Academic Interests

• Reading
• Basketball