Dr. Senay Simsek’s career in cereal science has centered on understanding wheat, improving foods made from it and sharing scientific knowledge with the people who use it. That work has made her a valued technical expert for U.S. Wheat Associates, helping international customers understand the quality, functionality and value of U.S. wheat.

Simsek is department head and professor in Purdue University’s Department of Food Science. She earned her doctorate in food science from Purdue in 2006 after specializing in food chemistry. Before returning to Purdue, she spent 15 years at North Dakota State University, where she became a leading wheat quality expert.

Her career has taken her from her native Turkey to prominent food science programs in the United States and to wheat markets around the world.

In 2026, the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology selected Simsek as the recipient of the 2026 Harald Perten Prize. The award is presented every two years for outstanding achievement in cereal science and technology, including research, teaching and knowledge-sharing. She is scheduled to accept the award in October at the 9th International Conference on Dietary Fibre in the United Kingdom.

For Simsek, some of the most meaningful work occurs outside the laboratory and classroom, when scientific knowledge can be shared directly with the people who turn wheat into food.

Her long-standing partnership with U.S. Wheat Associates has allowed her to take that approach to international markets, where she works with millers, bakers and food industry professionals to connect wheat science with practical applications.

Born and raised in Turkey, Simsek grew up in a culture where food was closely connected to family, community and tradition. That early connection to food was accompanied by a curiosity about science. As a middle school student, she saved her allowance to buy a Turkish science and technology magazine and developed an interest in chemistry.

She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in biochemistry. In 2002, she came to the United States expecting to stay for three months. Instead, she enrolled at Purdue and began pursuing a doctorate in food science.

At Purdue, Simsek began examining wheat through the lens of food chemistry and cereal science. That experience brought together her interests in chemistry and food and established the direction of her career.

After earning her Ph.D., Simsek joined the faculty at North Dakota State University in December 2006. North Dakota provided an important setting for her work because of the importance of wheat to the state’s agricultural economy.

Her chemistry background helped her approach wheat quality issues at the molecular level while connecting those findings to practical characteristics such as bread quality, shelf life and other properties important to food manufacturers.

Simsek also developed relationships with international wheat customers during her time at North Dakota State. She regularly hosted visiting trade teams and shared her research and expertise with customers and industry representatives from around the world.

Her relationship with U.S. Wheat Associates grew through those interactions. One meeting with a trade team from the Philippines became a turning point. Simsek met with the group at a hotel conference room in North Dakota and expected to discuss her research and wheat quality work before answering questions.

The discussion became an extended exchange about wheat quality, functionality and the performance of wheat in food products. Members of the visiting delegation later recommended that Simsek travel to the Philippines to conduct a seminar or workshop.

That experience helped establish a more sustained partnership between Simsek and U.S. Wheat Associates. Since then, she has participated in educational programs, seminars and workshops for international customers across four continents.

Her preparation for those engagements extends beyond studying wheat characteristics. Simsek examines the foods customers produce, the ingredients they use and the types of wheat they purchase. That allows her to tailor technical information to the needs of individual markets and help customers understand how wheat characteristics influence milling, flour quality and finished products.

Simsek has also participated in U.S. Wheat Associates Crop Quality Seminars, which provide international customers with information about the U.S. wheat crop. In 2025, she participated in activities in South America, presenting crop quality information to customers in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile.

Another major contribution to the organization’s educational efforts has been Simsek’s involvement in developing the School of Wheat Quality. U.S. Wheat Associates collaborated with Simsek and other technical experts to create an intensive program focused on cereal chemistry and wheat quality.

The program examines the scientific principles affecting wheat and flour performance, from kernel characteristics through finished food products. Initially delivered through intensive virtual sessions for customers in South and Southeast Asia, the program has evolved into an ongoing educational resource.

Simsek also developed the Wheat Quality Handbook, which is used in U.S. Wheat Associates technical training programs.

Her work as an educator extends to her family as well. Simsek is the mother of four children. Her oldest, 23, is pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology. Her second child, 20, is studying mechanical engineering. Her third child is a 17-year-old high school senior, and her youngest is 11 and in fifth grade.

As her children have grown older, they have gained a better understanding of their mother’s work and have become interested in her experiences in food science. Baking together has provided another way for Simsek to share her interests with them.

Her oldest daughter has also accompanied her to a buyers conference, where she observed Simsek present to and interact with professionals from multiple countries.

For Simsek, the combination of science, food and international engagement continues to define her career. Her work with U.S. Wheat Associates extends that connection from wheat producers in the United States to millers, bakers and food manufacturers around the world.

The result is a career focused not only on understanding wheat, but on helping people use that understanding to produce better food.

Source: U.S. Wheat Associates, "Science, Service and a Passion for Wheat: Simsek Helps Connect U.S. Wheat to the World"