About F2OCUS

The Future of Food: Opportunities and Careers for Undergraduate Student (F2OCUS) Fellowship Program aims to provide undergraduate students with experiential learning opportunities to increase their understanding of the future of food systems as it relates to enhancing the safety, quality, and security of our food supply through knowledge sharing, capacity building, and leadership development.

Food is essential to life and plays an important role in promotion of health and disease prevention. Importantly, both the sustainability and quality of the food supply are key to providing all Americans access to safe and nutritious foods. Thus, there is an increasing need for food professionals and scientists who are trained to address the challenges related to the safety and security of the food supply, have experience working with key stakeholder groups, and are well-equipped with effective leadership and communication skills. To help prepare undergraduate students for careers related to food systems, the F2OCUS Fellowship Program will provide a sustainable mentoring and training program focused on skills to enhance the safety, quality, and security of our food supply.

F2OCUS undergraduate student fellows will participate in experiential learning activities resulting in the

  • development of technical skills in research related to food science
  • creation of a novel food product with a team of F2OCUS fellows
  • engagement in externships with food industry and cooperative extension partners

F2OCUS undergraduate student fellows will also develop leadership and communication skills by

  • connecting with current food industry leaders
  • cultivating professional leadership skills
  • building communication skills to prepare for their future careers

The 2025 summer F2OCUS fellowship program runs for 10 weeks from May 17 through July 26, 2025. Applications are due on February 28, 2025, and decisions will be made by March 11, 2025. Each student awarded the F2OCUS fellowship will receive a stipend of $5,300, in addition to room & board and additional financial support for necessary travel.

REU Summer Program, Group, F2OCUS 2023
REU Summer Program, Group, F2OCUS 2022
A diverse group of young individuals seated on the ground, engaged in conversation and enjoying each other's company.

I learned from this visit that it is important to be ever-evolving and adapt your business to meet the needs presented by the consumers. – 2024 Fellow

During this experience, I learned how important a lab is in the food industry. It allows tests to be performed to make sure everything is in order such as taste, color, etc. – 2024 Fellow

I learned about the overlap within the fields of biology and the food industry. – 2023 Fellow

We learned how significant research is to the foods people eat on a daily basis. – 2023 Fellow

I had no idea how many people and departments went into securing business from a customer to prototyping the product and moving product into stores. – 2022 Fellow (Tyson Discovery Center)

I was previously unaware of diversity of flavors in blackberries and the dependence of this flavor on weather. – 2022 Fellow (Blackberry Field Day)

Learn more about this year’s program

Meet our faculty mentors
Check out our 2025 projects

Interested in joining us?

Apply Now