Ahmed received his MSc in microbiology from Benha University, Egypt, in 2011. Under a joint supervision scholarship, he earned his PhD in microbiology from the University of Guelph, Canada, and Benha University in 2015. He spent several years at Benha before moving to Ohio State University for postdoctoral research. In 2024, he transitioned to his current position at Michigan State as an assistant professor.

Sama earned her B.S. in Biomedical Sciences (Molecular Cell Biology) in 2024 from the University of Science and Technology at Zewail City, Egypt. She later served as a research assistant at the Center for Genomics at Zewail City and completed an internship at the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. In 2025, she joined the PhD program in Food Science at MSU. Her research applies metagenomic, transcriptomic, and whole-genome sequencing approaches to study lactic acid bacterial communities in the food microbiome and to develop microbial consortia with beneficial fermentation properties.

Tamil earned his undergraduate degree in Biotechnology Engineering from Anna University in Chennai, and completed an MS in Food Science with a focus on food allergy and immunology at MSU in 2025. His research focuses on reducing Salmonella populations on fresh produce

through integrated chemical, physical, and biological interventions, using both culture-based and molecular approaches, combined with bioinformatic analyses of sequencing data, to identify factors that influence foodborne pathogen reduction and produce safety.

Cassidy completed her bachelor's degree in Food Science at MSU in 2025 and joined the master's program soon after. She is researching the metabolic impact of low concentrations of peracetic acid and sodium hypochlorite on Salmonella enterica biofilms.