Mahta Moussavi

Dr. Mahta Moussavi is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Cooperative Agricultural Research Center (CARC) at Prairie View A&M University. She earned her B.S. and M.S. in Food Science from Ferdowsi University in Iran and her Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Dr. Moussavi’s graduate research was on postharvest handling of fruits and vegetables and product development. In her master’s research, she studied the shelf life stability of fresh-market tomatoes, and her PhD project focused on the viability and functional performance of mono- and multi-species probiotic cultures in orange juice.

Subsequently, she conducted her postdoctoral research in Dr. Linda Harris’ lab at the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California-Davis in the area of microbial food safety emphasizing the microbiology of tree nuts. The focus of her research was to identify critical points during postharvest handling of pistachios where foodborne pathogens may be amplified, and to determine thermal resistance of foodborne pathogens on pistachios and almonds.

Dr. Moussavi joined Prairie View A&M University in 2017. Her current research is on postharvest handling and microbial safety of fruits and vegetables.