Vermont Dia receives E.R. “Prof” Lidvall Outstanding Teacher Award
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture celebrated the accomplishments of some of its top faculty, staff, researchers and Extension experts at UTIA’s annual awards luncheon. The 2026 ceremony was held on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 4. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the institute.
UTIA Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the celebration and praised the honorees for their devotion to the land-grant mission. “Our UTIA staff and faculty continue to overwhelm me with their enthusiasm and unparalleled expertise,” he said. “I am always in awe of their dedication to providing Real. Life. Solutions. to the people of Tennessee. These award winners represent the efforts and accomplishments this past year that will most benefit all Tennesseans and society – impacts that will have lasting benefits through teaching, research and Extension for years to come.”
Vermont Dia, professor of food science, is the recipient of the E.R. “Prof” Lidvall Outstanding Teaching Award. This award was established by Donald E. Williams, a 1961 graduate of the Herbert College of Agriculture, and honors his former professor and mentor, professor E.R. Lidvall. The award recognizes faculty who exemplify Lidvall’s commitment to excellence in the classroom and his commitment to the needs and interests of the student.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected as the awardee for the E.R. “Prof” Lidvall Outstanding Teaching Award. I have always enjoyed developing new activities for my students in different food science classes as well as interacting with our food science club. I am thankful to Donald E. Williams who established this award to honor his former mentor and professor,” Dia said.
Dia, who has been on the UTIA faculty for 11 years, has previously been recognized as an undergraduate research mentor by both the Herbert College of Agriculture and the UT Knoxville Provost Office. He also was selected as the marshal for the Herbert spring 2026 graduation.
Dia’s area of specialty is food and health. His research focuses on food constituents and their impact on disease and prevention, and he also works on food protein ingredient chemistry. Some of the classes he teaches include “The science of food ingredients,” “Fermented foods of the world,” and upper-level courses in food chemistry.
Dia earned his bachelor’s degree in food technology and his master’s in food science in his native Philippines and his Ph.D. in food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.