Jared Rivera is a PhD candidate in the Grain Science program at Kansas State University. His research focuses on addressing enteric pathogen contamination in low moisture foods and evaluating the impact of anti-microbial treatments on product and end-use quality. Most of his work focuses on food microbiology, grain processing, powder rheology and he has authored multiple publications and conference presentations related to this work. Prior to pursuing graduate school, he worked as an R&D Specialist in the beverage industry contributing to product development and process optimization of various ready-to-drink beverages.