8:40-9:45 AM Morning Keynote Address (Brumfield Caffey Ballroom)

Beyond the Label:

Unveiling the Hidden World of Seafood 

Seafood is not just a commodity—it represents a way of life, a culinary heritage, and an integral part of many cultures.  Over the past decade, the U.S. seafood industry has faced significant challenges, including the rise of cheaper imported seafood, high fuel costs, and widespread species substitution.  While sophisticated testing methods exist to verify the authenticity of seafood, these typically require full-fledged laboratories, driving up costs and making mass testing impractical.  In response, Florida State University partnered with SeaD Consulting to develop a low-cost, onsite testing solution—RIGHTTest™—designed to address the needs of the seafood industry. The RIGHTTest™ combines the high specificity of rhPCR with a lateral flow test strip, enabling accurate testing in resource-limited settings. When applied to shrimp samples, the RIGHTTest™ has revealed up to 96% species substitution in restaurants claiming to serve domestic shrimp.  These findings are driving substantial change within the industry, leading to a surge in demand for domestic shrimp, helping domestic producers secure better prices for their products, and contributing to revitalizing the coastal economy.

Dr. Singh earned the Ph.D. from the University of Missouri before working as a post-doctorate fellow at the University of Georgia. He’s been an Assistant and then Associate Professor at the College of Health and Human Sciences at Florida State University since 2017. Additionally, he is the Chief Scientific Officer at SeaD Consulting.  In 2025, he was inducted as a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors (NIA). His research focuses on developing rapid methods and workflows. Currently, he is a pioneer in the development of rapid methods for seafood identification, innovative digital PCR workflows for the quantification of Salmonella, and the detection of pathogenic strains of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal papers and holds nine patents.