Rodrigues named to national fruit, vegetable 40 under 40 list

Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Camila Rodrigues was recently recognized as one of the nation’s top young leaders in the produce industry.

Rodrigues was selected for the Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty Awards by Fruit Growers News. She and the rest of the 2025 awardees were recognized at the Great Lakes Vegetable & Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in December.

The annual Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty awards program celebrates individuals who are the next generation of leaders, representing the best in the industry.

“I was truly humbled to receive this award, particularly because it is such a respected recognition within our field,” Rodrigues said. “For me, it represents a meaningful acknowledgment of the work my team and I have been doing to strengthen produce safety systems and support growers. I see it as encouragement to continue advancing practical, science-based solutions that improve both food safety and farm resilience.”

Rodrigues’s research program is focused on identifying potential sources of fresh produce contamination during production while implementing mitigation strategies to minimize the risk of produce contamination on conventional, organic and soilless farming systems.

Part of an interdisciplinary team, her outreach is focused on developing educational material, specialized food safety programs, and training to assist growers, producers, and stakeholders in improving and promoting food safety practices for fruit and vegetable production.

“My favorite part of my job is working directly with growers and understanding the challenges they face,” she said. “I enjoy connecting my research to practical solutions that address those needs, with the goal of improving produce safety and farm resiliency. Seeing those solutions implemented in the field and knowing they make a difference for agricultural communities is what makes this work so meaningful.”

Rodrigues earned her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University Center of Maringa in Brazil in 2012, her master’s degree in biosciences and pathophysiology from the State University of Maringa in Brazil in 2013, and her Ph.D. in food science and human nutrition from the University of Florida in 2019.

She said she wished to recognize her students, collaborators, and Alabama Extension partners, “whose dedication and expertise make this work possible.” 

“I am also grateful to the growers and stakeholders who continuously engage with my programs and help guide research questions toward meaningful impact,” she said.