Dr. Brandy E. Phipps is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Central State University and Principal Investigator of the Phipps Sustainable Nutrition Sciences Lab. With a Ph.D. in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences from Virginia Tech and over $13 million in external funding, Dr. Phipps' work spans sustainable agriculture, nutrition, aquaculture, and ecological stewardship. She directs the $10 million USDA-NIFA SUSHI project on sustainable hemp-based aquaculture and has earned national recognition, including the 2023 USDA/APLU National Excellence in College and University Teaching Award.

Dr. Phipps is renowned across the country for her commitment to mentoring students from underrepresented backgrounds and for her leadership in advancing food security, sustainability, and diversity in STEM. She has provided invited testimony before the U.S. Congress and serves as Chair of the Interinstitutional Network for Food, Agriculture, and Sustainability, as well as affiliate faculty at the Swetland Center for Environmental Health at Case Western Reserve University.

Her decade of community work prior to joining Central State University transformed her approach to nutrition and food systems, inspiring her dedication to power-sharing, community-engaged research methods. Dr. Phipps' work exemplifies how robust partnerships can drive meaningful outcomes in both knowledge creation and community well-being. 

Education: Ph.D. in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, Virginia Tech (2004); M.S. in Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise, Virginia Tech (2000); B.S. in Nutrition Sciences, University of Florida (1998).

Research Interests and Role in the Seeds of Culture Project: Food Systems; Cultural Foodways; Foods as Medicine.

Selected Major Publications: 

Budowle, R., Cousineau, B., Miller, M., Grossman, J., & Phipps, B. (2025). Strategic storytelling: Reflecting on the past, present, and future of INFAS. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 15(1), 77-93.

Miles, A.F., Phipps, B.E., & Berry, E. (2025). Editorial: Food System Transformation and the Realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, section Social Movements, Institutions and Governance. 9:1691198.

Hyink, J., McFadden, B.R., Phipps, B.E., & Gunderson, C. (2024). Could measuring factors other than a lack of financial resources help in achieving zero hunger goal. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 8:1412401

Distinctions: 2025 INFAS Stepping Up Award; 2023 USDA/APLU National Early Career Teaching Award; 2022 SOCHE Faculty Excellence Award; Invited congressional briefing panelist for Our Health, Our Planet, Our Future; Witness before the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research.