Demi Perry

Demi Perry is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech, where she leads the Perry Lab. Her work focuses on advancing the Virginia wine industry through interdisciplinary research integrating enology, viticulture, and plant pathology.

Key research areas include:

• Evaluating fermentations from vineyard variety trials to assess new grape cultivars under Virginia conditions
• Studying enological impacts of the spotted lanternfly on wine quality
• Exploring non-Saccharomyces yeast fermentations for improved aroma/flavor profiles

She collaborates with Dr. Drew Harner and Dr. Mizuho Nita to address challenges from vineyard to bottle, emphasizing climate resilience and pest/disease mitigation.