TU Graz Food Chemistry Expert Erich Leitner Seminar on Campus Thursday

Eric Leitner, University Professor at Graz University of Technology in Austria, is the in-person guest speaker for a food chemistry seminar hosted by U of A's Department of Food Science on Thursday.

All U of A students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend from 4-5 p.m. in Maple Hill Residence Hall Room 0143. The seminar is also available virtually (information below).

Leitner's appointment is with TU Graz's Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Food Chemistry. His presentation is "How can food chemistry support local producers to survive in a challenging environment?"

Leitner holds a professorship for analytics of food and food contact materials at Graz while also serving as an adjunct faculty member with food science in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

His presentation will be hosted by Han-Seok Seo, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and head of the Sensory Science Center, and a researcher and scientist with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

"Dr. Leitner's presentation will give us a big picture of food chemistry in a wide spectrum of agricultural, food-related and consumer-centered sciences," said Seo. "His presentation will also touch on climate and sustainability-related issues."

Leitner earned his master's and Ph.D. degrees in organic trace and technical chemistry from Graz's ACFC and he is head of the institute, which focuses on human sensory analysis and flavor chemistry using state-of-the-art instrumentation and advanced analytical skills.

He actively collaborates with farmers, breeders and producers in local, national and international communities and industries, and provides training courses in analytical instrumentation and sensory analysis to Austrian and European food industries and commodities. 

The U of A, Bumpers College and TU Graz have collaborated since 2016 by hosting students and faculty members, and co-organizing summer schools at both locations (2017 and 2019 at Graz, and 2018 at U of A). The summer school was paused in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is expected to resume in 2023.

Leitner is visiting the U of A Nov. 9-16 to promote collaboration opportunities and TU Graz. In addition to Thursday's lecture, he is also presenting to Bumpers College honors and graduate classes, at a flavAR workshop and also in the Department of Food Science. While in Arkansas, he is scheduled to visit wineries in Altus, the Fruit Research Station in Clarksville and meet with food industry professionals in Northwest Arkansas.

Virtual Seminar:

https://bit.ly/31Cmpgh
Meeting ID: 822 7346 8882
Passcode: 2UMd*5^h

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.