Dr. Juan de Dios Figueroa Cárdenas
Summary, Curriculum vitae 2004.
Dr Juan de Dios Figueroa studied his doctorate in Applied Agricultural
Science at North Dakota State University from 1987 to 1990. His areas
of specialization are Cereal Chemistry and Technology, Biochemistry
and Statistics. From 1992 to 1995 Dr. Figueroa worked in the Department
of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at CINVESTAV-IPN (Centro de Investigación
y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional:
Center for Advanced Studies and Research of the National Polytechnic
Institute). Today Dr. Figueroa is a national level III researcher
in the Mexican National System of Researchers (Sistema Nacional de
Investigadores, SIN) and works full time at the Queretaro campus of
CINVESTAV-IPN. He is also director of the Project for Ecological Tortilla
Production Technology, an area in which CINVESTAV plays a leading
role in the world. His work in this area has achieved world-wide recognition
in such prestigious journals as Science and National Geographic. Several
newspapers in the United Status and Mexico have reported on his work,
including La Jornada, Reforma, Excelsior, and the San Diego Union
Tribune. His work received first place for Technological Development
in Queretaro in 1996, 1997, and 2002, as well as receiving the Coca
Cola award for professionals in 1994.
Dr.
Figueroa has published a book and has written chapters in 4 other
books. He has also published more than 30 scientific articles, written
41 articles in national magazines, and contributed 67 reports on his
work to the published reports of different congresses. He has also
instructed a dozen undergraduate engineering students, 4 master's
students, and 3 students who received their doctorate in fields related
to the study of corn and tortillas. He has worked together with a
multidisciplinary group of physicists, chemists, engineers, and electronic
specialists that have registered 6 international patents and 6 Mexican
patents, some of which are now in industrial use. He has also contributed
technological developments like the use of impedance and ohmic equipment
for the characterization of biological materials that have been well
received by many users. His areas of research include the modernization
of the nixtamalization process for masa and tortilla production; nutritional
fortification of tortillas; nutritional, dielectrical, and thermal
properties, as well as dehydration phenomena in masa, instant corn
flour, and corn tortillas; development of thermoconductive and ultrasound
technologies for the characterization of biological materials and
the identification of high value added grain. Dr. Figueroa was invited
to speak on the last mentioned topic at a conference of the US Grain
Council.
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
DOCTORATE 1987-1990.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Cereal Science, Department of Cereal
Science and Food Technology, College of Agriculture, area of Applied
Agricultural Science, North Dakota State University. Fargo, North
Dakota, USA.
MASTER’S DEGREE 1984-1987
Master's in Cereal Science, Department of Cereal Science and Food
Technology, College of Agriculture, area of Applied Agricultural Science,
North Dakota State University. Fargo, North Dakota, USA.
BACHELOR'S DEGREE 1970-1975
Industrial Chemist, Department of Chemical Science, Autonomous University
of Tamaulipas (Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas). Cd. Reynosa,
Tamaulipas. Bachelor's thesis on Optimizing Germination Time in Triticale
Malt.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Full research scientist in 1995 for the Central Wheat Chemistry Laboratory,
National Institute for Agricultural Research (Instituto Nacional de
Investigaciones Agrícolas, INIA), of the Mexican government
Department of Agricultura and Cattle Raising. Head of Research from
1976 to 1984 at the Central Laboratories for Barley and Oats, INIA.
Department of Agricultural and Water Resources in Chapingo, Mexico.
Full research scientist. Head of the Barley and Oat Laboratories of
the National Institute for Forest, Agricultural, and Cattle Research
(Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias,
INIFAP) from 1990 to 1992. Responsible for malt barley Industrial
Quality Control and development for 18 years under an agreement between
the Beer-Malt organism of the INIFAP and the Mexican beer brewing
industry.
Level 3-A research professor from november 1992 to 1995, Department
of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Food Section, Center for Advanced
Studies and Research, National Polytechnic Institute (Centro de Investigación
y de Estudios Avanzados del Insituto Politécnico Nacional,
CINVESTAV-IPN), and commissioner of the Project for the Technological
Modernization of the Tortilla and Masa Industry and of the Mexican
Materials Research Corporation (Corporación Mexicana de Investigación
en Materiales S.A., COMIMSA).
Level 3-C research professor from 1995 to the present, Materials Research
Laboratory, Queretaro campus of the CINVESTAV-IPN.
National System of Researchers Level: National Research Scientist
III
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