Two University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty members are the 2026 recipients of major awards from the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS), for outstanding work in advancing scientific understanding.
Ozan Ciftci, the Kenneth E. Morrison Distinguished Professor of Food Engineering, received the society’s 2026 Timothy L. Mounts Award for significant contributions to the science and technology of edible fats and oils or derivatives in food products.
Edgar Cahoon, the George Holmes Professor of Biochemistry and director of the university’s Center for Plant Science Innovation, received the 2026 Supelco AOCS Research Award for outstanding original research on fats, oils, lipid chemistry or biochemistry published in highly cited journals, books and papers. Past recipients of the Supelco Award have included three Nobel Prize winners (biochemists Konrad Bloch, Sune Bergström and Bengt Samuelsson).
AOCS, an international professional organization based in Urbana, Ill., will present the awards during its annual meeting and expo set for May 2026 in New Orleans. The society, with members in 90 countries, provides a support network to advance the science and technology of oils, fats, lipids, proteins, surfactants and related materials.
These awards to Ciftci and Cahoon for scientific vision and achievement highlight the university’s global prominence in food science and research in lipid biochemistry.
Ciftci, an associate professor for the departments of Food Science and Technology as well as Biological Systems Engineering, is an internationally recognized expert in innovation in food engineering and sustainable food systems.
He heads an international initiative to develop alternative protein and lipid sources from purposefully designed plants and microorganisms. The Food Innovation and Diversification to Advance the Bioeconomy initiative, or FoodID, is co-funded by the National Science Foundation, Business Finland and the Research Council of Finland.
FoodID also will tackle the technological, environmental, nutritional and social challenges of incorporating more renewable resources in food systems and agricultural production.
Ciftci is recipient of the LIST International Award in Bioinnovation for ground-breaking research papers from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, an international organization. He holds multiple patents and has secured more than $20 million in funding for food innovation. He actively collaborates with industry and academia worldwide to drive the next generation of sustainable food innovations.
Cahoon, an internationally recognized expert in plant lipid biotechnology, focuses his work on developing new types of oils that have improved functionalities for food, feed and industrial uses. His research to identify new genes, fatty acid structures and biochemical pathways in plants has generated dozens of U.S. patents and improved crops’ nutritional and industrial value and agronomic performance.
The National Academy of Inventors has named Cahoon one of the organization’s fellows, the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors. Fellow status recognizes academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in developing inventions that have tangibly impacted quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.
CONTACT: Ozan Ciftci, Kenneth E. Morrison Distinguished Professor of Food Engineering, 402-472-5686, ciftci@unl.edu. Edgar Cahoon, director of the Center for Plant Science Innovation, 402-472-5611, ecahoon2@unl.edu.
