Dr. Jasna Kovac

Associate Professor

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Biography

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.

Research Interests

Experience

Associate Professor

2017-01-01 — Present

Pennsylvania State University • University Park, PA

Teaching and conducting research in the field of Food Science, focusing on microbial food safety and foodborne pathogens.

Awards

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Early Career Environmental Research Award

2025-01-01
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Outstanding Teaching Award

2024-01-01
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Integrated Team Award

2023-01-01
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Early Achievement Research Award

2023-01-01
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Outstanding Young Scientist Award

2023-01-01
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Early Achievement Research Award

2022-01-01
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Excellent Research Achievements Award

2021-01-01
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Community Teaching Excellence Award

2020-01-01
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Casida Career Development Professor Food Safety

2019-01-01
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Institut Mérieux Young Investigator Award

2019-01-01
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Harbaugh Faculty Scholars Award Excellence Teaching & Learning

2018-01-01
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Outstanding PhD Graduate Biosciences

2016-01-01

Courses

Laboratory in Food Microbiology Microbial Genomic Epidemiology Microbial Whole-Genome Sequence Analyses Food Production Italy Independent Studies Thesis Research Honors Thesis

Requirements for Pennsylvania State University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Writing
Required:24
Speaking
Required:23
Total
Required:100
IELTS
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7
GRE General
Prerequisites
Master's degree in related field for PhD Baccalaureate degree from accredited institution
Application Checklist
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Writing Sample
  • Official Transcripts
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

GRE scores are highly recommended but not strictly required for Applied Linguistics.