Welcome to the new Yemmireddy Lab website
Our new website brings together the lab's research, team, teaching, and outreach in one place.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Yemmireddy Lab
Advancing Food Safety, Quality, and Resilient Food Systems
About the lab
Food safety science, from the field to the table
The Yemmireddy Lab investigates how foodborne microorganisms survive, adapt, and respond to environmental stresses, intervention technologies, and ecological interactions across the food supply chain. By integrating food microbiology, microbial ecology, postharvest quality, intervention science, and risk analysis, we develop practical solutions that enhance food safety, preserve product quality, and support evidence-based decision making for industry, regulators, and communities.
Through research, education, and outreach, we translate scientific discoveries into real-world practices that strengthen food systems and prepare the next generation of food safety professionals.
Research
Our research follows three connected directions: Understand. Control. Inform.
01 | Understand
Microbial Ecology & Pathogen Persistence
We study how foodborne pathogens and resident microbial communities change across fresh-produce supply chains. Through field sampling, laboratory studies, and microbiome and metagenomic analyses, we identify environmental and operational conditions that influence contamination, survival, and persistence.
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02 | Control
Intervention Science & Quality Protection
We investigate how microbial stress, surface attachment, and biofilm formation affect pathogen response to control measures. We evaluate sanitizers and emerging technologies for their ability to reduce microbial risk while protecting product quality and shelf life.
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03 | Inform
Quantitative Risk Assessment & Decision Science
We use quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to connect laboratory, field, and supply-chain data. These models help us estimate risk, compare intervention strategies, identify critical knowledge gaps, and determine where food-safety actions can have the greatest impact.
Learn more →From Discovery to Impact
Understanding microbes. Developing solutions. Strengthening food systems.
Understand
- Microbial Ecology
- Pathogen Persistence
- Food Quality
Control
- Interventions
- Quality Preservation
- Risk Reduction
Inform
- Risk Analytics
- Decision Support
- Evidence-Based Solutions
Empower
- Education
- Training
- Outreach & Engagement
Impact
- Safer Foods
- Protected Quality
- Resilient Food Systems
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Join the Lab
We welcome motivated undergraduate and graduate students interested in food microbiology, food safety, and risk analysis. Reach out to learn about current opportunities.