Joseph Usack

Joseph Usack serves as Assistant Professor in Food Science & Technology at the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. He directs the Sustainable Food Systems Engineering Lab focusing on microbial bioprocessing for circular resource recovery. His work integrates engineering principles with biological systems to develop technologies for food, water, and energy recovery within the bioeconomy.

Dr. Usack's research spans three core platform technologies:

• Anaerobic digestion for biogas and nutrient recovery
• Microbial chain-elongation for medium-chain fatty acid production
• Power-to-food systems for renewable protein synthesis

His lab operates across multiple scales from fundamental lab experiments to field implementations and commercialization efforts, incorporating environmental lifecycle assessments and technoeconomic analyses.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2024-2025) reveals strong emphasis on waste valorization, particularly in agricultural and food processing streams. Key trends include microaeration optimization for siloxane degradation, medium-chain fatty acid production from sidestreams, and novel bioreactor designs for precise gas control. His work consistently bridges fundamental microbiology with practical engineering applications for circular economy implementation.

Dr. Usack teaches FDST 4012/6012 (Food Processing II) and its laboratory component, integrating his research expertise into undergraduate education. His professional affiliations include the New Materials Institute, Institute for Integrative and Precision Agriculture, and Bio-expression and Fermentation Facility at UGA.

His educational background demonstrates strong interdisciplinary training:

• Ph.D. in Biological & Environmental Engineering, Cornell University (2016)
• M.Sc. in Biological & Environmental Engineering, Cornell University (2014)
• B.Sc. in Environmental Science, SUNY-ESF (2008)

The Sustainable Food Systems Engineering Lab conducts integrated research across multiple domains including dairy waste valorization, coffee-processing wastewater treatment, and marine byproduct utilization. Current projects emphasize greenhouse gas mitigation in livestock systems through novel feed additives derived from waste streams, demonstrating practical applications of circular economy principles.