Rate My Professor Michelle Worosz

Michelle R. Worosz is a Professor of Rural Sociology in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology within Auburn University's College of Agriculture. She directs the College of Agriculture's M.S. program in Rural Sociology, emphasizing the development of scientific and technical knowledge to evaluate problems faced by rural communities, with a focus on community sustainability, environmental justice, natural resource dependency, and laws and regulations shaping food, agriculture, and water systems. Worosz holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Michigan State University (2006), an M.S. in Resource Development from Michigan State University (1997), and a B.S. in Social Science from Michigan State University (1992). Before joining Auburn University in 2008, she was an Assistant Professor and Research Associate at Michigan State University's Food Safety Policy Center from May 2005 to July 2008. At Auburn, she has advanced through the faculty ranks to full Professor, contributing to interdisciplinary research initiatives including NSF-funded projects on rural sociology and agrifood systems.

Worosz's research interests encompass agrifood system governance, food safety, food security, short supply chains, values-based supply chains, local foods, agrifood production and consumption systems, technology transfer, adoption of bundled technologies, climate-smart technologies, climate resilience communication, and pedagogy of critical thinking and information literacy skills. She actively co-develops knowledge on climate resilience in agrifood systems, particularly food safety and small- and medium-scaled production. In her teaching, she offers Sociology of Natural Resources and the Environment (RSOC 6650), where students undertake semester-long research projects on media constructions of climate science. Notable publications include "Serving food safety: Consumer perceptions of food safety at restaurants" (2007, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, with A.J. Knight and E.C.D. Todd), "Segmentation of US consumers based on food safety attitudes" (2008, British Food Journal, with J. Kennedy, E.C. Todd, and M.K. Lapinski), "Risk, anti-reflexivity, and ethical neutralization in industrial food processing" (2012, Agriculture and Human Values, with D. Stuart), "A cautionary tale of purity, labeling and product literacy in the gluten-free market" (2012, Journal of Consumer Affairs, with N.L.W. Wilson), "Local as an indicator of beef quality: An exploratory study of rural consumers in the southern US" (2017, Food Quality and Preference, with A.L. Telligman and C.L. Bratcher), and "Advancing the scholarship and practice of stakeholder engagement in working landscapes: a co-produced research agenda" (2022, Socio-Ecological Practice Research, with W.M. Eaton et al.). Her scholarship influences discussions on consumer perceptions, regulatory frameworks, and sustainable practices in agriculture and rural development.