Associate Professor, University of Georgia, Department of Nutritional Sciences

Dr. Ginnefer Cox is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Georgia. Spurred by her father’s health issues, she became a Registered Dietitian and completed a culinary arts degree from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, NY. Her doctoral research in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign focused on the sensory perception of sodium reduction in model processed food systems.

At the University of Georgia, her research focus centers on utilizing sensory evaluation methodology, particularly within community-based settings, to increase acceptability and consumption of health-focused food products and recipes. While sensory evaluation is traditionally associated with controlled laboratory testing conditions, Ginnefer also values non-traditional, community-based sensory evaluation as a more accessible approach which can specifically target communities that are in critical need of improving dietary habits. Examples of community-engaged sensory evaluation includes evaluation of recipes utilized in federal nutrition education programming (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program – EFNEP – and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education – SNAP-Ed), plant-based recipes for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), vegetable-dense recipes for children, and dairy-based food products and recipes for college students.

As the Director of the Culinary Science and Nutrition Program at the University of Georgia, Ginnefer teaches courses which focus on sensory science, ingredient functionality, and recipe and menu development. She delights in training future sensory scientists, Registered Dietitians, and culinary professionals on the importance of creating flavorful and nutritious food products and recipes to improve health behaviors and developing the skill set to create and test these foods.