AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University has hired a food scientist to lead a new collaboration with Cedar Rapids and its agricultural, food and bioprocessing companies.
David Freeman is a graduate of the food technology program at Iowa State and has industry experience with DuPont Industrial Biosciences in Cedar Rapids and Grain Processing Corp. in Muscatine. He began his duties in August.
The City of Cedar Rapids and Iowa State officials in March announced the creation of this unique public-private partnership to foster increased interactions between faculty research and the city’s agricultural and bioprocessing industries.
Freeman will be based in Cedar Rapids, working to identify opportunities for collaboration with Iowa State scientists, engineers, extension and economic development specialists.
“David brings a unique set of skills to this position with first-hand knowledge of a wide range of grain processing technologies. His background in food science will also be beneficial when working with the range of companies in Cedar Rapids,” said Ruth MacDonald, chair of Iowa State’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and interim director of the Center for Crops Utilization Research. “ISU has a wealth of faculty expertise and state-of-the-art research facilities that can be of great assistance to the agrobiosciences sector in Cedar Rapids,” she said.
Freeman earned a bachelor’s degree in food science from Iowa State in 2008. He is a native of Cedar Rapids.
“We are constantly looking for ways to assist existing industries and to grow our economy through expansion and new business opportunities,” said Jasmine Almoayed, Cedar Rapids economic development manager. “David's research and development experience in the private sector allows him to understand the needs of these industries and provide a connection to the resources and research available at ISU.”
The ISU-City of Cedar Rapids partnership was the result of series of discussions and visits that began in 2013, organized by Cedar Rapids city and economic development officials and leaders from ISU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Bioeconomy Institute, Extension and Outreach and the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations.
Iowa State and Cedar Rapids are sharing in the cost of funding the liaison position held by Freeman.