Mehdi Hajikhani, a doctoral graduate in Food Science, has been named the recipient of the 2026 CAFNR William R. Lamberson Distinguished Dissertation Award. He is recognized for his innovative, interdisciplinary research that advances food safety through the integration of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence. He was recognized at the college’s award ceremony, Celebration of Excellence, April 23.

Hajikhani’s dissertation focused on developing rapid, accurate methods for detecting pesticide residues in fresh produce by combining surface‑enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with transformer‑based machine learning models. His work resulted in the development of two novel frameworks, SERSFormer and SERSFormer‑2.0, which achieved exceptional accuracy in both single‑ and multi‑pesticide detection, even in complex mixtures. These advances address a critical challenge in food safety monitoring by offering faster, more scalable alternatives to traditional laboratory‑based testing methods. 

His research has been published in high‑impact journals, including the Journal of Hazardous Materials and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, reflecting both scientific rigor and real‑world applicability. By bridging food science, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence, Mehdi’s work demonstrates a rare depth of technical expertise and interdisciplinary vision. 

“Mehdi’s dissertation exemplifies originality, precision and societal impact,” said Mengshi Lin, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Food Science and Hajikhani’s mentor. “His research sets a new benchmark for innovation in food contaminant detection.” 

Hajikhani’s exceptional scholarship, technical leadership and commitment to improving food safety make him a highly deserving recipient of this distinguished award and a valuable contributor to the future of agricultural and food sciences.