The University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) has named Steven Ricke as the new director of the college’s Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery (MSABD) program, which is housed within the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. The program involves research, teaching and outreach in the areas of meat science, food safety, and the discovery of animal biologics.
Ricke comes to CALS from the University of Arkansas, where he was hired as a professor of food science in 2005. At that time, he was named director of the university’s Center for Food Safety and designated the inaugural Donald “Buddy” Wray Endowed Chair in Food Safety. Considered a leader in the field of microbial food safety in poultry, Ricke is well-known for his research exploring how Salmonella and Campylobacter survive in food animals on the farm and during processing as well as interventions to reduce the risk these foodborne pathogens pose to consumers.