Dr. David A. Mills

• Department of Food Science and Technology

David A. Mills is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California at Davis. Dr. Mills studies the molecular biology and ecology of bacteria that play an active role in gut health. Dr. Mills has mentored numerous graduate students and postdocs generating a body of research spanning wine microbiology, dairy science and seminal work on lactic acid bacterial and bifidobacterial genomics. Dr. Mills helped create the UC Davis “Milk Group”, a consortium of researchers who investigate and translate the uniquely beneficial aspects of human and bovine milk. Professor Mills was named the Peter J. Shields Chair in Dairy Food Science in 2012, in 2015 he was elected a Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology and in 2022 he was named a UC Davis Distinguished Professor. Dr. Mills’s research has helped launch several startup companies.

Dr. Mills obtained a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he worked for Dr. John Markley.   In 1991, he obtained a Masters degree in Biochemistry with Dr. Michael Flickinger at University of Minnesota, followed by a PhD in 1995 working with Dr. Gary Dunny and Dr. Larry McKay. After postdoctoral studies at North Carolina State University with Dr. Todd Klaenhammer, Dr. Mills took a faculty position at UC Davis.

Academic Rank

• Distinguished Professor, Departments of Food Science & Technology, 2022-present.
• Full Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, UC Davis, 2012-present.
• Full Professor, Department of Viticulture and Enology, UC Davis, 2008-2023.
• Associate Professor, Department of Viticulture and Enology, UC Davis, 2004-2008
• Assistant Professor, Department of Viticulture and Enology, UC Davis, 1998-2004
• Distribution of time:  60% Research 40% Teaching.

Education

• 1996 Doctor of Philosophy - Microbiology University of Minnesota
• 1992 Masters in Science-Biochemistry University of Minnesota
• 1985 Bachelor of Science-Biochemistry University of Wisconsin-Madison

Academic Specialty

Bacterial Genetics and Genomics, Gene Expression and Modification, Anaerobic/Gut Microbiology, Probiotics and Prebiotics, Food and Beverage Fermentations.

Awards/Honors

• Sanders Award for Advancing Biotic Science - International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, 2026
• UC Davis Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship Award, 2024
• Distinguished Professor, UC Davis, 2022
• UC Davis Chancellor’s Innovation Awards, 2020 (Team award)
• Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate Analytics, 2018-present
• Etchell’s Memorial Lecturer, North Carolina State University, 2017
• Division Group Lecturer, Annual Meeting American Society for Microbiology, 2016
• Fellow, American Academy for Microbiology, 2015
• Deans' Team Award for Excellence in Research – UCDMC 2014 (Team award)
• Peter J. Shields Endowed Chair in Dairy Food Science, 2012-present.
• Best Paper Awardee, American Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2012
• Cargill Flavor Systems Award, American Dairy Science Association 2010
• Distinguished Lecturer, American Society for Microbiology (2003-2005)
• Sigma Xi Research Award (1995) University of Minnesota chapter of Sigma Xi
• Bacaner Research Award (1995), Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota
• Graduate Student Research Award, North Central Branch ASM Annual Meeting, Oct, 1995

Entrepreneurial Activity

• Co-Founder – Matrubials Inc.
• Co-Founder – One.Bio Inc.
• Co-Founder – Infinant Health Inc.
• Co-Founder – MicroTrek LLC.