Professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Washington (UW)

Dr. Juming Tang is Professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Washington (UW), and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Before joining UW in 2024, he was Regents Professor, Distinguished Chair of Food Engineering, and Chair of the Department of Biological Systems Engineering (2016–2021) at Washington State University, Pullman, WA. There, he conducted pioneering research on advanced food preservation technologies based on microwave energy, as well as pathogen control in low-moisture foods.

Dr. Tang has advised more than 50 PhD students and trained more than 50 postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars, many of whom have gone on to become leading researchers at universities and experts in food processing and food safety engineering in global companies. His research has resulted in 17 U.S. and international patents that have been licensed for global commercialization. He also directed two industrial consortia involving the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center and major food processing and packaging companies. These efforts led to the development of 915 MHz Microwave-Assisted Thermal Sterilization (MATS) technology for shelf stable meals, which has received acceptance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a non-objection determination from USDA FSIS.

In addition, Dr. Tang directed the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture-supported Center of Excellence for Food Safety, which contributed to the development of 915 MHz Microwave-Assisted Pasteurization Systems (MAPS) for controlling bacterial and viral pathogens in frozen and chilled ready-to-eat meals.

At UW, Dr. Tang continues his research on advanced thermal processing technologies while expanding his work in the development of shelf-stable and chilled ready-to-eat whole-grain meals and the application of artificial intelligence to food supply chains.