Isabel Gutierrez Forbes

Pursuing a PhD in Food Science & Technology from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech

Woman with tan skin and long brown hair standing in front of trees. Wearing a green shirt and black blazer.

"I hope to inspire others to pursue an education in STEM as my high school teachers did for me. Chemistry, in particular Food Chemistry, draws me in because it is an interdisciplinary field, and it applies to everyone in the world."

Isabel (Isa) was raised in Managua, Nicaragua and moved to the United States to attend college in 2014. Isa worked as an online tutor for Spanish and Chemistry after her undergraduate studies until 2019 when she started her graduate career. She later worked at the University of Georgia as a Program Coordinator in the Department of Food Science & Technology (Extension) helping businesses with their thermally processed products and nutritional labels.

Isabel earned a BA in Chemistry from Guilford College and an MS in Food Science & International Agriculture and Development from Penn State. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Food Science & Technology from Virginia Tech in the lab of Dr. Yun Yin.