Dr. Keren Kles is a food scientist, specializing in alternative proteins and ingredients. Keren holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Food Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from University of California – Davis.
Keren has over 21 years of food industry and Academia experience; both in production and R&D, focusing on new agricultural products and waste streams, their processing and end products and ingredients originating from them. In her previous job, Keren spearheaded the technology development at Flying SpArk, a foodtech start-up company that makes protein powders and oil from insects. Before that, Keren was a member of PepsiCo’s Advanced Research team (located in Plano, TX) focusing on multi-textured products. Keren is also a freelance consultant, helping early-stage Food Tech startup companies advance to the next level in addition to teaching food science classes at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at the Tel Hai College.