Since its founding in 2011, the Network has convened conferences and partnerships with institutions such as Università degli Studi Roma Tre (Italy), Gustolab International (Rome), Slow Food San Francisco (USA), University of Pretoria (South Africa), University of Guadalajara (Mexico), Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías (CUCEI), Aarhus University (Denmark), National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism (Taiwan), University of Osaka (Japan), and Politécnico de Portalegre (Portugal).
Plenary speakers have included Carlo Petrini (Founder, Slow Food International), Corinna Hawkes (City, University of London), José Graziano da Silva (FAO Director-General), and Patricia Allen (University of California, Santa Cruz), among others—contributing to global conversations on sustainable food systems, ethics, and cultural meaning.
Under the leadership of the Network Co-Chairs, the community continues to expand as an interdisciplinary space for rigorous scholarship and practical impact—connecting production, health, culture, and governance across regions.
We are thankful for the leadership of the current and past Research Network Chairs.
Current Chair and Editor (2023-)
Founding Chair, Editor (2006-8)
Director of Graduate Studies, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA (2011)
Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, USA (2012)
Executive Director, Sustainable Food Center, Austin, USA (2013)
University Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne, France (2014)
Founding Principal, Small Planet Institute; Head, Real Food Media Project, Bay Area, USA (2106)
Founder, Slow Food San Francisco & Villa Italia Wines, San Francisco, USA (2016)
Professor and Researcher, Basque Culinary Center, University of Mondragón, Spain (2019)
Partnerships extend the Network’s scholar-led mission—linking universities, research institutes, and community organizations that share our commitment to reimagining food systems. Past and ongoing collaborations include:
