Kathryn Boor

Kathryn J. Boor is the Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education at Cornell University. Dr. Boor is responsible for oversight of all Cornell University Graduate School administrative offices, she serves as the institutional advocate for all graduate students, and oversees all research MS and PhD programs across Cornell University as well as program assessment of graduate fields of study.

Previously, Dr. Boor 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’s research focuses 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; her group has 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, 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 serves 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.