Nwadike leading SDSU’s Department of Dairy and Food Science

Story by: Sam Anderson, Farm x Faith Media 

Londa Nwadike, a Bruce native and 2000 South Dakota State University alumna, has been named the David A. Thompson Endowed Department Head and Professor of Dairy and Food Science at SDSU. 

“I had a great experience at SDSU, and I know that there are many exciting things happening at SDSU now,” Nwadike said. “There is a great deal of potential in the department, college, university and state, so it is exciting to be a part of it.” 

For the last 10-plus years, Nwadike has held a joint position as the state Extension food safety specialist at Kansas State University and the University of Missouri. In this role, she has helped develop programs and resources focusing on food safety, as well as encouraging local food systems and food access efforts in both states. 

“It is always exciting to have a highly successful Jackrabbits alum return to the university in a leadership role,” said Joseph Cassady, South Dakota Corn Endowed Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. 

Although Nwadike has spent much of her time in other states and countries over the years, her roots in South Dakota agriculture run deep. Nwadike grew up on a farm between Volga and Bruce, which sparked her interest in and appreciation for agriculture, family farms and food production. From her 4-H days in food and nutrition quiz bowl, to being on the dairy foods judging team in FFA and taking a “Food and People” class as an elective during her freshman year of college, each exposure to the food production side of agriculture led Nwadike down the path to pursue food science first as a degree and then a career. 

After finishing her undergraduate degrees in food science and animal science from SDSU, she went on to Kansas State University to receive her master’s degree in food science, with a focus on meat safety. Nwadike then worked with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in food safety, primarily in the context of how food safety, animal health and plant health intersect. This experience allowed her to travel across the world and fulfill her desire to find ways to help those in impoverished areas. 

In step with her interest in international agriculture and outreach, Nwadike pursued a doctorate in public health at the University of Iowa, where she focused on agricultural health and safety and performed her Ph.D. dissertation research with farmers in the Gambia, West Africa, in 2009. After earning her doctorate, Nwadike accepted a position at the University of Vermont as a state Extension food safety specialist, before taking a similar role at Kansas State University and the University of Missouri. 

“As I look back, I see that I have worked a lot in these areas of ‘intersection’ within food, agriculture and human health, and I am still very interested in those areas of intersection, including food production to food consumption,” Nwadike said. 

“As a leader in food safety with a wealth of both international and domestic experience, Dr. Nwadike is well prepared to lead our Department of Dairy and Food Science into the future, and we are very excited to have her join our College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences leadership team,” Cassady said. 

Nwadike began her duties on June 24, replacing interim department head Sanjeev Anand.