Ashton Y
- Research Program Mentor

MS at Cornell University

Expertise

food science, entrepreneurship, experimental design, academic journal article writing, grant writing, geometry, podcasting

Bio

Hello there! I'm Ashton, a California native currently living in Ithaca, NY! My life is food and science, and coincidentally I got my M.P.S and M.S in Food Science & Technology at Cornell University. While I was in grad school I started my own food company with a group of friends, and haven't looked back. My company (Antithesis Foods) is working to make the world healthier by making better-for-you food ACTUALLY taste good. (We are so passionate about this topic that we started our own podcast, "Better-for-you?" to debunk food myths and help people understand how to better navigate the grocery aisle). One of the things I'm most energized by is helping people to align their greatest skills with their passions, and the life changing empowerment that comes from embracing and owning your strengths. I look forward to working together!

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Food Product Development!

Got an interesting idea for a new food product, snack or beverage? Learn all the fundamentals of what you need to know, from formulation and food safety to branding and marketing.

Original Research & Academic Journal Article Writing

Have an inkling you're interested in academic research? Let's talk about your idea, refine your research question, test it, and write about it! Get an intro to academic journal and grant writing.

So You Wanna Start a Podcast?

Learn how to translate your passions into podcast. Explore how to develop a novel concept, communicate to a broad audience, execute, and publish!

Become a Student Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is such a buzz word these days, but what does it really take to bring your product or service idea to market? Learn how to develop a business model, conduct customer discovery, develop a minimum viable product, and tap into local support systems for your business idea.

Teaching experience

During graduate school I was a teaching assistant for two courses at Cornell University. The first was FDSC4210 Food Engineering Principles, a rigorous course that required explanation of complex and abstract concepts to students new to the field. This was incredibly rewarding and really tested my communication and teaching skills. The second was BioG1500 Investigative Biology Laboratory, an introductory course for pre-med students on the basics of experimental design, laboratory techniques and inquisitive thinking. I also currently virtually tutor high school students in Geometry, which I thoroughly enjoy.

Credentials

Work experience

Antithesis Foods (2017 - Current)

Chief Operating Officer

National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (2019 - Current)

Principal Investigator on Grant Award ID:1940271

Cornell University (2016 - 2019)

Graduate Research Assistant, Rizvi Lab

Education

University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

BS Bachelor of Science (2012)

Environmental Science

Cornell University

MPS Master of Professional Studies (2017)

Food Science & Technology