Vivica Kraak honored with emerita status
A member of Virginia Tech's faculty for 11 years, Kraak brought international visibility the the university through her teaching, research, and service in food nutrition and policy and population health.
Vivica Ingrid Kraak, associate professor of food and nutrition policy in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of associate professor emerita by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The emerita title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.
A member of the Virginia Tech community for 11 years, Kraak brought national and international visibility to the university through her research, teaching, and service in food and nutrition policy and population health. She was a fellow for the 2019 Lancet Commission and Report on the Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition and Climate Change and taught students at Virginia Tech’s Steger Center for International Scholarship in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, in 2023.
During her time at Virginia Tech, Kraak taught or co-taught eight courses and contributed to curriculum development and student mentorship. She mentored 12 master’s and doctoral students pursuing careers in food and nutrition research, policy, and practice in the United States and internationally. Her teaching emphasized critical thinking and policy-relevant research to support sustainable healthy diets and resilient and regeneration food systems for personal and planetary health.
Kraak authored or co-authored more than 115 peer-reviewed interdisciplinary publications. She also served in leadership and professional roles with the American Society for Nutrition’s Committee on Advocacy and Science Policy from 2024-26, the National Academy of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board Food Forum from 2016-22, and the Virginia Commission to End Hunger from 2025-26.
Kraak earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University, and a Ph.D. from Deakin University in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is spending her retirement in Nice located in the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur) region of southeastern France taking an intensive language course and exploring French culture.
