The NC Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL) named Joseph (“Joe”) Hildebrand the new interim director, elevating a longtime team member who has helped shape the lab’s growth since its early years. 

For Hildebrand, the position represents another step in a career that has taken him from biochemistry and vaccine trials to product development and food science. Since joining the lab as the pilot plant manager, he has played a key role in its expansion and evolution. As Interim Director, Hildebrand oversees daily operations while guiding long-term strategy, managing client partnerships and strengthening connections across the NC State University ecosystem.

“I want to be the best bridge I can be between previous directors, managing current facility needs and interfacing with the future leadership of NCFIL,” Hildebrand says, “whether that’s myself or someone else.”

A Career Built on Scaling and Problem Solving

Hildebrand’s experience has consistently centered on a question fundamental to NCFIL’s mission: How do you take an idea and make it work at scale?

After earning his bachelor’s degree in molecular and structural biochemistry at NC State in 2008, Hildebrand spent two years as a fermentation scientist with Pfizer. He worked on the production of clinical trial materials for vaccine development and helped scale processes.

Following a stint in process technician management at Cree, Hildebrand earned his master’s degree in food science, specializing in fermentation. He then landed at PepsiCo, solving formulation challenges that helped products enter new global markets. 

When Hildebrand’s unique combination of scientific knowledge, product development expertise and management experience led him to NCFIL in 2020, he had an innate understanding of the lab’s overarching goal: helping clients close the gap between concepting and successful commercialization. 

Growing With NCFIL

Hildebrand joined NCFIL in its early days. Only a few pieces of machinery were in use when he arrived, and he personally helped install and commission much of the equipment that followed. As NCFIL expanded its capabilities, client base and reach, Hildebrand helped guide that growth.

Today, his responsibilities extend well beyond the pilot plant. As interim director, he manages a team of seven employees while overseeing facility operations, client relationships and strategic priorities.

His role also focuses on fostering connections with NC State’s main campus and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, building on existing collaborations with faculty at the Plants for Human Health Institute and the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein and exploring opportunities to integrate food science education across the university.

A Mission With Variety and Impact

Despite NCFIL’s relatively small size, Hildebrand says its impact reminds him of working for much larger organizations such as Pfizer and PepsiCo.

“We’ve been able to have a tremendous impact, not only within the state of North Carolina, but across the U.S.,” he says. “And across the globe.”

Ask Hildebrand what keeps him at NCFIL, and one answer comes quickly: no two days are alike. “At NCFIL, you work on something different every day,” he says. “From gummies and banana bread to protein isolates, granola bars and ready-to-drink coffee. The variety is impressive.”

That variety is a natural fit for someone whose career has crossed disciplines and industries. It also reflects the breadth of work taking place at NCFIL, where food innovators bring different products and challenges to a facility equipped to help translate concepts into scalable production.

Learn More About Joe Hildebrand at NCFIL 

• Hildebrand Earns NC State Alumni Award (10.29.25) 
• Joe Hildebrand Steps Into New NCFIL Role (4.16.25)
• Joe Hildebrand: Certified Culinary Scientist (7.29.21) 
• Joseph Hildebrand: NCFIL’s New Pilot Plant Manager (5.15.20)