Dr. Jasna Kovac is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science at Penn State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Biosciences from the University of Ljubljana, where she focused on Biotechnology. Her research interests primarily lie in the areas of microbial food safety, foodborne pathogens, genomic epidemiology, microbiomes, food systems, and antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Kovac's work emphasizes the application of precision food safety approaches and comparative genomics to enhance the understanding of the genetic and environmental factors driving the persistence of foodborne pathogens in food systems. She has been recognized with multiple awards for her significant contributions to research and education in food safety, including the Early Career Environmental Research Award from the American Society of Microbiology and the Outstanding Teaching Award from Penn State Gamma Sigma Delta. Dr. Kovac also plays an active role in mentoring graduate students in her lab and has a track record of developing risk assessment tools and intervention strategies that contribute to a safer and more sustainable food supply chain.
Pennsylvania State University • University Park, PA
Teaching and conducting research in the field of Food Science, focusing on microbial food safety and foodborne pathogens.