SPS and TBT Training

SPS and TBT Training Opportunity

Request for Applications
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Scientific Exchanges Fellowship Program

The Scientific Exchanges Program (SEP) supports USDA’s agricultural research goals of promoting collaborative programs among agricultural professionals of eligible countries, agricultural professionals of the United States, the international agricultural research system, and U.S. entities conducting research. SEP is implemented by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Programs, Fellowship Programs.

The University of Missouri is pleased to host two cohorts of Scientific Exchanges Program fellows on SPS/TBT topic areas. One cohort has already been selected and is scheduled to complete its research in Fall 2022. The second cohort is being recruited through July 20, 2022, and will be hosted in Spring 2022, with our partners University of Nebraska-Lincoln and North Carolina State University.

This application package is focused on applicants interested in improving human capacity in sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBT), and the relationship to this of climate smart agriculture (CSA). The goal will be to empower fellows to advocate for sound SPS policy to peers, decision-makers and the public.

Application Deadline: July 20, 2022
Eligible Countries: Cotê d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal

The SEP training program complies with the requirements of the USDA Non-Discrimination Statement. The statement includes how to file a complaint: USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

Contact

If you have questions or interests in the SPS and TBT Research Group, please contact CAFNR International Programs, CIP@missouri.edu.

SPS/TBT Faculty

Dr. Pamela Adkins

Dr. Pamela Adkins, DVM, PhD, is a clinician scientist and an assistant professor in food animal medicine and surgery. She practices livestock medicine at the University of Missouri Food Animal Hospital. Her research interests include bovine mastitis, bovine lameness, and the impact of heat stress on dairy cattle. She also has interest in the impact of antimicrobial use on the farm microbial populations. Adkins, who earned DVM and master’s degrees from the Ohio State University, was named the Doctoral Student Marshal when she received her PhD during MU’s May 2017 commencement.

Julian Binfield

Julian Binfield’s research is centered around the determination of the impact of changes in agricultural policy on agricultural markets for the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute (FAPRI). Policy changes can include changes in domestic policy or trade measures. Binfield has been involved in the analysis of agricultural markets in the U.S., Europe and Africa. His research includes trade barriers, including technical trade barriers (TBTs) and the economic implications of TBTs.

Corinne Bromfield

Corinne Bromfield is assistant Extension professor of Swine Production Medicine in Veterinary Medical Extension and Continuing Education, MU Extension. She is a member of the MU Biosecurity Team, which was formed to support Missouri’s livestock and poultry farmers and to ensure that all agencies give consistent messaging on matters of biosecurity, emergency management and environmental concerns.

Andrew D. Clarke

Andrew D. Clarke is an associate professor and program leader of food science in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. He is a meat scientist and primarily studies applications of ingredients and technologies to improve the quality and safety of processed meat products for consumers.  Clarke has hosted a Borlaug Fellow from Azerbaijan on a project to develop a HACCP plan for small dairy operators and has recently served as a Training Coordinator (2016 and 2019) for Cochran Fellows from Moldova and Tunisia. He has been the Lead Instructor for 33 HACCP workshops conducted in Missouri since 2001 and has co-written a textbook entitled “Introducing Food Science, 2nd Edition” that touches on many of the principles of food production and how these relate to food issues and commercial food production.  He routinely co-leads Study Abroad courses to New Zealand and Germany where students gain an appreciation for the meat, dairy and wine industries.

Mengshi Lin

Mengshi Lin is a professor of food science, food systems and bioengineering. His objectives are to develop cutting-edge techniques and novel nanomaterials to improve food safety and food quality and to conduct food R&D by developing bioactive compounds and functional food products to improve human health. His research interests include green and biodegradable food packaging materials based on nanocellulose and nanocomposites, establishing surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) methods for their potential applications in food safety, and developing novel and rapid sensing and instrumentation systems for the classification and pattern recognition of foodborne pathogens. He also develops novel nanosubstrates, nanostructures, and nanoparticles for biosensor uses to investigate nanotoxicology, and contributes to responsible development and deployment of nanomaterials and nanotechniques in food science.

Thomas B. McFadden

Thomas B. McFadden is a professor in animal sciences who specializes in dairy science and milk quality. His research has examined best milking practices for food safety.

John Middleton

John Middleton is a livestock veterinarian and researcher. His clinical expertise spans the breadth of food-producing livestock. His research is primarily focused on mastitis and milk quality of dairy cattle and goats. However, he also facilitates clinical trials related to human and animal health using animal models. He has worked internationally in Western and Eastern Europe and South America including a capacity development project with The Agency for Biosecurity, Galapagos in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

Azlin Mustapha

Azlin Mustapha’s research focuses on the development of rapid molecular based techniques at detecting pathogens in food and the use of novel antimicrobial compounds at eliminating pathogens in foods. She is currently developing novel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods to detect antibiotic resistant Salmonella and other pathogens in various foods, as well as using nanoparticles to construct sensitive biosensing tools for pathogen detection. Mustapha is also investigating the inhibitory effects of various nanomaterials on pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms, as well as their toxicity to mammalian intestinal bacterial and epithelial cells. Mustapha is highly versed in genetic engineering concepts and biotechnological research and teaches a graduate level Food Biotechnology course where students are taught sampling and detection of GMOs in the food supply via molecular and enzymatic methods in addition to major aspects of biotechnology related to post-harvest foods.

Kevin Rice

Kevin Rice leads research that quantifies the ecological and economic effects of invasive insects in natural and agricultural systems, with an integrated pest management approach to reducing pest effects. In field trials, Rice quantifies insect dispersal, using mark-release-recapture techniques including protein and fluorescent marking. His research also examines novel management options for invasive inspect species, such as attract-and-kill strategies that combine, pheromone, and plant volatiles. Kevin Rice has investigated invasive species trap design for several USA invaders and quantified pheromone and volatile attractants. These have let to wide scale adoption throughout the USA. Rice has recently been involved in sanitary and phytosanitary training for National Plant Protection Organizations in West Africa that has allowed him to gain some contextual knowledge of West African inspection systems. This training has led to current partnerships in West Africa to track and capture invasive pests in farm settings, using test traps within a research model that will allow for scaling up. Collaborative partnerships and training can facilitate the exchange of state-of-the-art research and methods used in the U.S. to track and address invasive pests, to be adapted and applied to other contexts such as in Africa.

Timothy Safranski

As Swine Breeding Specialist, Timothy Safranski provides state-wide leadership for producers, regional extension faculty, veterinarians and other industry support personnel in the areas of genetics and reproductive management of swine. His goals and objectives are to provide Missouri swine farms with the best opportunities for efficient production by assuring they are able to understand, evaluate and implement new and existing technologies and management techniques. The model combines campus-based workshops, outstate presentations and workshops, train-the-trainer programs, on-site consultation and a seamless combination of research and extension.

James Schoelz

James Schoelz is a professor and the director of graduate studies in the Division of Plant Science and Technology. The goal of his program is to understand the environmental and genetic factors that influence the pathogenicity and host range of plant viruses.

Wyatt Thompson

Wyatt Thompson is an associate professor in agricultural and applied economics in the Division of Applied Social Sciences. He is engaged in the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) and specializes in agricultural policy, biofuel policy, trade policy, market and price analysis, and demand and supply analysis. His research includes trade barriers, including technical trade barriers (TBTs) and the economic implications of TBTs.