Kathryn Boor

Kathryn J. Boor is Professor of Food Processing Microbiology at Cornell University. 

Previously, Dr. Boor served as the Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education (October 1, 2020-July 31, 2025). Before that, she served as the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University (July 1, 2010 – September 30, 2020).

Dr. Boor is no longer directing laboratory research. Her previous research focused on identifying biological factors that affect transmission of bacteria in food systems, from farm to table.  She established the Food Safety Laboratory at Cornell University and directed the Milk Quality Improvement Program; her group published more than 175 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Among other discoveries, her team identified seminal evidence linking bacterial environmental stress response with virulence gene expression in the foodborne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. 

Dr. Boor earned a BS in Food Science from Cornell University, an MS in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of California, Davis.  She joined the Cornell Food Science department as assistant professor in 1994, became its first tenured female faculty member in 2000 and led as department chair from 2007-2010.

Dr. Boor serves on the Board of Directors for Seneca Foods Corporation, International Flavors and Fragrance, and Sarepta Therapeutics. Previously, she served on the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development (BARD) Fund, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR); the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) and the Boyce Thompson Institute.  She also served on the Science Board for the US Food and Drug Administration and on the New York State Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, and the New York State Council on Hunger and Food Policy.

Dr. Boor is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, the International Academy of Food Science and Technology, the Institute of Food Technologists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Dairy Science Association.  She received an honorary doctorate from Harper Adams University in the United Kingdom in 2016 and was named a 2018 Woman of Distinction by the New York State Senate.