International Award for Teagasc Scientist

11 August, 2003

Dr Vivion Tarrant, Director of the Teagasc National Food Centre, has been selected as the winner of the International Award of the American Meat Science Association.

The highly prestigious award honours individuals who have made an international contribution to meat science and technology. Dr Tarrant is the first person from Ireland and the UK to have received the award since its inception in 1989.

Dr Tarrant has been Director of the Teagasc National Food Centre since 1987 and has led major advances in research and training for the food industry in food safety, meat technology and prepared consumer foods. The centre has a staff of almost 100 scientists.

He has overseen major investment at the Teagasc National Food Centre in recent years which has enabled the centre to expand its research programme and develop strong collaboration with research institutes internationally, including the US and Australia. The most recent collaboration involves a joint project with Michigan State University on the development of molecular tools for the enhancement, control and diagnosis of meat quality.

The international standing of the Teagasc National Food Centre is reflected in its selection as the organiser of the International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, which is to be held in Dublin in 2006. Dr Tarrant was a keynote speaker at three recent conferences in Brazil, Barcelona and Helsinki.

A native of Sligo, Dr Tarrant holds a PhD in biochemistry from UCD. Prior to joining the Teagasc food research services he worked as a research scientist in Michigan State University and worked in the Irish pigmeat processing sector. As winner of the American Meat Science Association International Award, he has been invited to give the keynote address at an international conference at the University of Kentucky in June 2004.