Kaavya Rathnakumar

Kaavya Rathnakumar, Ph.D., currently serves as a Senior Scientist at Balchem Corporation, leading over 40 innovation projects focused on ice cream and frozen novelties. This role includes developing natural flavors and shelf-stable vitamin fortifications while optimizing manufacturing processes. Previously, Kaavya was an Innovation Scientist at Beyond Meat, managing product development projects that enhanced the nutritional profiles and organoleptic properties of plant-based products. Other experiences include a Postdoctoral Researcher position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Kaavya directed multiple product development projects for frozen desserts, as well as various research and assistant roles across several universities and companies in the food science domain. Kaavya earned a Ph.D. in Dairy and Food Science from South Dakota State University, a Master's in Food Engineering and Bio Process Technology from the Asian Institute of Technology, and a B.Tech in Food Process Engineering from the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management.