Joseph Jen was sworn in as the under secretary for research, education, and economics. He succeeded Miley Gonzalez, who held that position from August 1997 until December 2000 when he returned to New Mexico State University and is now associate dean and director for the Agricultural Experiment Station in the College of Agriculture and Home Economics.

     Before rejoining USDA, from 1992 until he was sworn in to this position in July 2001 Jen served as the dean of the College of Agriculture at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He was chairman of the Division of Food Science and Technology at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., from 1986-92. From 1980-86 he served as director of research at the Camden, N.J.-based Campbell Institute of Research and Technology for the Campbell Soup Company.

     Jen was an associate professor at the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University in 1979. From 1969-79 he was a food science and biochemistry faculty member at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. During that time he founded the Chinese American Food Association, designed to promote the professional growth of Chinese American professionals in the food science technology field. Also during that time, from 1975-76, he worked as an Agricultural Research Service research food technologist at what is now called the ARS Beltsville Area Plant Sciences Institute within the Produce Quality and Safety Laboratory, where he concentrated on post-harvest tomato research.

     A native of Chunking, China, Jen holds a B.S. degree in agricultural chemistry from National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan, an M.S. degree in food science from Washington State University, a master of business administration degree from Southern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. degree in comparative biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley.