Elizabeth Andress

Elizabeth Andress is a Professor in the Department of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Georgia (UGA), serving as an Extension Food Safety Specialist and Director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation. She holds a B.S. from Albright College, M.S. in Family and Child Development from Virginia Tech, and Ph.D. in Food Science from Penn State University. Her work focuses on applying scientific principles to food safety, preservation, and consumer education.

Research interests include bridging food science disciplines (microbiology, chemistry, engineering) to address practical food handling challenges. She develops educational resources for home food preservation, trains extension faculty nationwide, and maintains a popular website and blog (www.homefoodpreservation.com). Her career highlights include mentoring impactful students, pioneering ServSafe training programs, and receiving national awards for extension and public service.

Awards recognize her contributions to outreach, including the USDA-NIFA Excellence in Extension Award (2012) and APLU's Outstanding Engagement Award (2007). She teaches courses like Food Sanitation and Safety and First-Year Odyssey seminars, emphasizing critical thinking and real-world application. Her professional leadership includes interim roles as Interim Associate Dean and State Extension Program Leader.

• Key Roles: Director of National Center for Home Food Preservation (since 2000)
• Grants: USDA-NIFA funding for preservation research and outreach
• Labs/Teams: Leads multidisciplinary team at the National Center, collaborating with extension faculty across the U.S.