Christopher Heist Selected as R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Research Faculty Fellow in Poultry Technologies

August 7, 2023

Christopher Heist Selected as R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Research Faculty Fellow in Poultry Technologies

ATLANTA — Analytical chemist Christopher Heist has been selected as the R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Research Faculty Fellow in Poultry Technologies at the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP).

Made possible through an endowment from the R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation, the fellowship recognizes innovative, promising early-career research faculty interested in exploring breakthrough applied engineering and science research to address poultry industry challenges. Fellows are selected through a competitive application process.

Heist, who earned a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Oregon State University and joined GTRI in 2021 as a research scientist II, will focus his research efforts on developing portable sensors and sensing systems for use in poultry environments. He will hold the fellowship from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026, and receive research funding of $40,000 per year.

An expert in gas chromatography (GC) and microfluidics, Heist aims to take analytical chemistry out of the lab and into the field by developing a micro-GC for poultry applications such as monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ammonia levels in poultry houses, sexing poultry eggs, as well as food safety applications. Successful implementation of these monitoring techniques can not only increase production efficiencies and offer cost savings, but can increase safety and animal welfare as well.

“It is an absolute honor to receive this recognition as I continue to further my career in the poultry industry. I want to extend a special thanks to the R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation, GTRI, and ATRP for this honor and opportunity. I’m looking forward to continuing to use analytical chemistry and further develop sensing technologies to help solve issues within the poultry industry,” said Heist.

Established in 1973, ATRP develops advanced technology in support of Georgia’s multibillion-dollar poultry industry, the state’s leading agricultural sector. The technologies help poultry processors optimize operations and improve efficiency, safety, product yields, and environmental sustainability.
 
The R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation was founded by the Harrisons’ daughter, Bobbie Ann Harrison Reynolds, and her husband, Raymond H. Reynolds, Jr. (a Georgia Tech industrial engineering alumnus), in honor of her late parents with a primary goal to strengthen and support education. Her father founded Harrison Poultry in 1958 in Bethlehem, Georgia.
 
“ATRP is extremely honored to be awarding this fellowship made possible by our friends at the R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation to Dr. Chris Heist. This fellowship will enable him to build a professional network, learn about the challenges facing the poultry industry, and provide him with a launching pad to drive new innovations to solve these challenges,” said Doug Britton, ATRP program manager.
 

ABOUT GTRI
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $800 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.