Leadership, Faculty, and Postdocs
Dr. F. Omar Holguin
Plant & Environmental Sciences
(575) 646-5913
frholgui@nmsu.edu
Bio
Born and raised in New Mexico, Dr. Holguín returns to his roots with over two decades of research experience. He is an associate professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University and serves as the director of CESFAS. Passionate about advancing sustainable agriculture, bioeconomy, and environmental resilience, he focuses his work on addressing the unique challenges of his home state and the Southwestern U.S.
Dr. Holguín specializes in natural product analysis, focusing on bioactive compounds from plants, microbes, and environmental contaminants to enhance the economic viability, quality, and sustainability of agricultural products. His research directly supports the CESFAS mission, strengthening regional food systems and promoting value-added agriculture through innovative scientific approaches. As an educator and mentor, Dr. Holguín is committed to training the next generation of agricultural scientists and leaders, offering hands-on learning experiences that connect research with real-world applications. Outside of his work, he is an active community member who enjoys outdoor activities and values time with his family, all while staying deeply connected to the land and people of New Mexico.
Dr. Efren Delgado
Food Science and Technology
(575) 646-1759
edelgad@nmsu.edu
Bio
Efren Delgado is an associate professor within the Family and Consumer Science Department with a focus in food science and technology. His Ph.D. is in Food Science from Technische Universitaet Berlin, Germany and has been with NMSU 2013. Dr. Delgado’s research interests include functional foods, protein isolation and separation, extrusion technology, microencapsulation, product development, and cereal technology and feed technology.
Dr. Sergio Martinez-Monteagudo
Food Bioprocessing
575-646-3936
sergiomm@nmsu.edu
Bio
Dr. Martinez-Monteagudo is an Associate Professor within the Departments of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering at New Mexico State University. His appointment also supports the Center of Excellence in Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems (CESFAS) at NMSU. Before joining NMSU, Dr. Martinez-Monteagudo worked as an Assistant Professor at South Dakota State University, where he conducted research in the area of value-added, technology development, and dairy engineering. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, and a Master’s degree in Food Science and Technology from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua (2005, Mexico). Dr. Martinez-Monteagudo earned his Ph.D. in Bioresource and Food Engineering from the University of Alberta (2013, Canada). He also worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Food Safety Engineering at Ohio State University (2013-2015).
Dr. Luis Sabillón Galeas
Microbial Food Safety
575-646-3936
lsabillo@nmsu.edu
Bio
Dr. Luis Sabillón is an Assistant Professor at New Mexico State University (NMSU) – Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Dr. Sabillón’s primary responsibilities include the development of research and education programs designed to address microbiological risks, from farm-to-fork, associated with New Mexico commodities and food products. Before joining NMSU, Luis worked as an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) where he conducted research in the area of applied food safety and process validation, and also taught two upper-level undergraduate courses in the area of commodity processing. Originally from Honduras, Dr. Sabillón received his BS from Zamorano University in Honduras; MSc and PhD in Food Science and Technology from UNL. He also worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Applied Food Safety and Quality at UNL. In this role, he conducted applied research projects in food microbiology, provided technical assistance to the food industry, and assisted in the development of research and educational programming aimed at improving the safety and security of stored crops in developing countries.
Dr. Chaddelle "Chaddy" Robinson
Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business
503-646-5093
chadelle@nmsu.edu
Bio
Robinson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business at New Mexico State University. She earned her Ph.D. at New Mexico State University from the College of Business in Marketing. Her research interest aims to improve agricultural producers’ incomes by providing a better understanding of consumer behavior, market research, and general business operations and research. She is an active member of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), Western Agricultural Economics Association (WAEA) and the International Food and Agricultural Marketing Association (IFAMA).
Dr. John Floros
Food Sciences and Technology
575-646-3583
floros@nmsu.edu
Bio
Dr. Floros' research includes the application of chemical engineering, applied mathematics and industrial statistics to the field of food process engineering and packaging. His work has focused on developing innovative, efficient, and effective food processing and packaging systems, improving the value, quality, safety, and shelf life of food products, and advancing optimization methodology for better processes and packaging systems. Projects have addressed the understanding and modeling of several complex physicochemical and biochemical phenomena that occur during food processing and food packaging, and the development and optimization of many food manufacturing operations.
Dr. Saeid Zehtab Salmasi
Plant & Environmental Sciences
503-852-4241
saeidzs@nmsu.edu
Bio
Salmasi is the Research Director of the Sustainable Agriculture Science Center of NMSU at Alcalde and an Associate Professor of Agronomy in the Plant and Environmental Sciences Department. Prior to starting his position at NMSU, he worked for 22 years at one of the top five high-ranking education and research universities in Iran, the University of Tabriz. Saeid's research activity is mainly focused on the ecology of field crop production and the sustainability of farming systems. Currently, he is investigating high-value, low-input crops like saffron and has a particular interest in incorporating medicinal plants, especially essential oil-bearing plants, into farming systems to enhance the diversity of food and forage cropping systems and reduce the usage of chemical drugs in animal industries.
Dr. Shengrui Yao
Plant & Environmental Sciences
505-852-2668
yaos@nmsu.edu
Bio
Dr. Yao is a professor within the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, and a Corp Specialist with the Sustainable Agriculture Science Center at Alcalde and Los Lunas Agriculture Science Center She was the recipient of the 2024 Chair of the Nakayama Professorship. She earned her PhD degree from the Horticultural Department, Cornell University in 2015 and joined NMSU in 2010. Before that, she worked at Shandong Institute of Pomology for 13 years. Due to severe late frost issue, her research has been focused on alternative crops for central and northern New Mexico to growers to diversity their operation and increase revenue. She has explored several berries crops, high tunnel production and tree fruit species-jujubes. Her research team has a leading role in jujube research and extension in the U.S. Their work includes all aspects related to jujubes: jujube cultivar trial, cultivar selection germplasm genotyping, fruit storage, marketing, processing and metabolomics.
Alexander Wilson
Financial and Economic Analysis
503-989-4283
wilson85@nmsu.edu
Bio
Alex Wilson is a Statewide Cooperative Extension Agent with the Department of Agricultural Business and Agricultural Economics. He holds an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from New Mexico State University and a B.S. in Environmental Economics and Policy from Oregon State University. His work focuses on the financial and economic sustainability of emerging technologies and business activities within the food and fiber supply chain. He leads financial analysis and training efforts to help supply chain participants identify and capitalize on value-added market opportunities. He contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives across research institutions and agricultural industries to drive innovation in technologies and investment strategies. His research is shared through scholarly journals, Cooperative Extension outlets, and industry publications, and is regularly presented at public events, conferences, and stakeholder meetings across New Mexico and the U.S.
Dr. Francine Messomo Giotto
Food Science & Technology
575-646-2492
fgiotto@nmsu.edu
Bio
Dr. Francine Mezzomo Giotto is an Assistant Professor of Meat Science with split appointments in the Departments of Animal and Range Science, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Extension Animal Sciences and Natural Resources at New Mexico State University. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Nevada, Reno in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources. Her research agenda is focused on artificial intelligence applications in Meat Science, antimicrobial resistance in Agri-Food chain; and the conversion of meat processing waste into value-added products. Dr. Giotto is an active member of the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) and serves on the Meat Science and Muscle Biology Committee of the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS).
Dr. Wiebke Boeing
Aquatic Ecology
575-646-1707
wboeing@nmsu.edu
Bio
Dr. Boeing is a Professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Conservation Ecology who received her Master's degree at University of Technology Dresden (Germany) in Hydrobiology and her Doctorate from Louisiana State University in Freshwater Biology. She worked as a Post-doctoral Scientist for NOAA in Marine Biology before accepting her Professorship at New Mexico State University in 2004. She is a versatile aquatic ecologist who has worked on every trophic level of the aquatic food web (bacteria, algae, invertebrates, fish) and has published her research findings in over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles.
Chef Pete Mitchell
Culinary Arts & Hospitality
575-646-2379
petemit@nmsu.edu
Bio
Pete Mitchell is a strong advocate for servant leadership within the hospitality industry. He believes that the strength of the team outweighs the strength of any individual; every student has value in the outcome of the class, and students deserve respect, trust, and the right to be treated as professionals in the hospitality industry. His passions lie in the proper production and management of food. Chef Mitchell focuses on the instruction of future restaurant managers and their abilities to think on their feet with the end goal of the total operation in mind instead of just cooking or just serving or just cleaning. With over 35 years in the restaurant industry as both management and educator, Chef Mitchell continues to set his focus on the well-being of coworkers and students as well as their development and advancement within the industry.
Govinda Sapkota
Family and Consumer Sciences
575-646-1889
govinda@nmsu.edu
Bio
Govinda is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. He earned his master's degree from Oklahoma State University and his Ph.D. in Plant and Environmental Sciences from New Mexico State University. His research focuses on investigating the potential health benefits of diverse phytochemicals in agro-industrial products and exploring value-added opportunities in these products. He is particularly interested in studying high-value medicinal plants and conducting chemical analyses to assess their health benefits.