Evelyn Watts, D.V.M., M.A., Ph.D., is the Grace Drews Lehman Professor in Human Ecology, an Associate Professor and a Seafood Extension Specialist for LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant. She manages the LSU Seafood Quality Laboratory and serves as the Research Director of the LSU AgCenter Seafood Processing Demonstration Laboratory. Her work focuses on outreach and applied research to ensure seafood safety, quality, and by-product recovery.
Dr. Watts assists the seafood industry with regulatory compliance and provides guidance on handling, processing, packaging, and storage technologies. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including IAFP, Phi Tau Sigma Honor Society, AFDOSS, Louisiana Marine Extension Project, Aquatic Foods Conference, and the Guatemalan Veterinary Medicine Professional Society.
With twenty years of experience in the food industry and academia, Dr. Watts has specialized in regulatory compliance and food safety. She has extensive experience teaching food safety across various industries and is a lead instructor for Sanitation Control Procedures of Fish and Fishery Products, Seafood HACCP, Meat and Poultry HACCP, Better Process Control School, and FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Foods. In addition to her experience, she holds thirteen food safety certifications.
Dr. Watts earned her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine and a master's degree in food safety from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala, and a Doctorate in Food Science from Louisiana State University. She received the LSU AgCenter’s Denver T. & Ferne Loupe Extension Team Award in 2017 and was recognized by the LSU Office of the President in 2018 for her efforts to improve and safeguard the wild-caught catfish industry in Louisiana.
