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Summer 2025

Offshoots

Brodie works at a lab table, examining vials.
Aaron Bodie works in his lab at the University of Georgia, where he is an assistant professor of poultry science. Photo by SEAN MONTGOMERY

 

Undergrads, take heed: That career seminar your advisor recommended just might lead you to your actual career. Aaron Bodie PhD’22 is case in point. One fortuitous career talk encounter took him from biology classes at the University of Arkansas to graduate studies in meat science at CALS. And from there, he leapt from award-winning food safety consultant to poultry science professor at the University of Georgia. Now he’s cementing his place in the food science field.

Bodie began his college career as a biology major at the University of Arkansas (UA). But his fascination with food science can be traced back to a talk about career paths given by Steve Ricke PhD’89. Ricke was a professor of food science and director of UA’s Center for Food Safety at the time. “I just went to him after this talk and was like, ‘Hey, I’m interested based on what you presented — how do I get into this field?’ ” Bodie says.

“I immediately recognized his enthusiasm and sincerity for wanting to seriously pursue this career track,” Ricke says. Ricke suggested Bodie get lab experience in food safety, and he eventually hired Bodie as an undergraduate laboratory assistant. Bodie also worked as a microbiologist in UA’s food science department.

“We started to do a lot of work in poultry as well as ready-to-eat products,” Bodie says. “I started to like it, so that’s what sparked my interest in continuing my career path toward food safety.”

After completing his master’s degree in animal science, Bodie was looking for opportunities in the industry, but he couldn’t immediately find what he was looking for. Believing further education would help, he began work on his Ph.D. at UA. In 2020, Ricke took a position at CALS as professor of animal and dairy sciences and director of the Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery (MSABD) program. He extended offers to Bodie and others to join his lab. Bodie accepted with enthusiasm.

“Aaron was instrumental in moving my program to Wisconsin, and he kept his research going during the move — in the middle of the COVID pandemic and during the opening of the new MSABD building,” Ricke says. (See The Future Holds No Limits for Meat Science at CALS, Grow, summer 2021.)

Bodie switched his research focus from Listeria and Salmonella to Campylobacter, a foodborne pathogen that can be found in raw foods (and in especially high numbers in poultry products). “Aaron took on the challenge of optimizing a rapid assay (test) for Campylobacter detection and quantification that was critically needed by the poultry industry,” Ricke says. “This was a difficult project, but he successfully optimized and standardized the assay to complete his Ph.D. degree.”

As it turns out, Bodie was the first from Ricke’s MSABD lab to graduate with a Ph.D. “It feels good when I set out to do something and achieve it,” Bodie says of his degree. “But that was never on my bucket list — to be the first of anything. I was just trying to do my best in my career, honestly.”

Bodie is quick to recognize others for helping him broaden his skills and move his career forward. He cites his MSABD lab mates, former CALS researchers Dana Dittoe and Elena Olson PhD’24, and his UA mentor, researcher Peter Rubinelli. He also credits the members of his thesis committee — Food Research Institute director Kathy Glass, animal biologics professor Vanessa Leone, and professor and extension meat specialist Jeff Sindelar — for steering him toward graduation and helping him find ways to be a good scientist.

“Of course, Dr. Ricke was also influential to me,” Bodie says. “He’s a worker, for sure, but he’s also a forward thinker; he never discourages any thought he has about science.”

Before accepting his current professorship at the University of Georgia (UGA), Bodie served as a food safety consultant. He worked with meat processors to help them comply with standards set by the Food Safety and Inspection Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During that time, Bodie also launched @dr.microfoodsafety on Instagram and other social media outlets, where he posted information and short videos to help inform consumers.

“Society is becoming more health conscious with what they eat, and there is a lot of misinformation floating around,” Bodie says. “I think it’s imperative for educators and experts in the industry to inform consumers about health, food safety, and quality.”

Bodie’s work in the industry, as well as his social media presence, caught the attention of The Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness. In 2023, the organization awarded him a “40 Under 40” award.

At UGA, Bodie is building his lab staff and infrastructure so he can help solve problems in the poultry industry. Some of his current projects include finding ways to detect, quantify, mitigate, and prevent Salmonella and Campylobacter in poultry. He also wants to find ways to identify where his research can be most helpful and applicable. Social media is a vital part of this process. Although @dr.microfoodsafety is on hold right now, Bodie recently launched @thebodielabgroup on Instagram, and other outlets may follow.

“The goal is to start to get our research out to the masses and a younger generation of students who use more social media,” Bodie says.

Ricke is not surprised that Bodie wants to reach larger audiences and diverse age groups with his work. He describes Bodie as passionate and a vital contributor to the success of his MSABD lab, one who often goes the extra mile.

“Aaron repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to contribute to other activities going on in MSABD for implementing various food safety projects,” Ricke says. “I believe his accomplishments as a successful Ph.D. in the animal and dairy sciences department represent the type of exceptional student that the University of Wisconsin produces.”

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