Emil Mrak
| Emil Marcel Mrak | |
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| Second Chancellor of the University of California, Davis |
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In office 1959–1969 |
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| Preceded by | Stanley B. Freeborn |
| Succeeded by | James Henry Meyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
27 October 1901 San Francisco, California, USA |
| Died | 9 April 1987 (aged 85) Davis, California, USA |
| Residence | Davis, California |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Profession | food scientist, microbiologist |
| Awards | Nicholas Appert Award (1957) |
| Institutions | University of California, Davis |
Emil Marcel Mrak (27 October 1901 - 9 April 1987) was an American food scientist, microbiologist, and former chancellor of the University of California, Davis. He was recognized internationally for his work in food preservation and as a world authority on the biology of yeasts.
Mrak was born in San Francisco, California, and graduated from Campbell High School in Campbell. He received a B.S. degree in Food Technology in 1926, M.S. degree in 1928, and Ph.D. degree in botany and mycology in 1936 from University of California, Berkeley. While an undergraduate at Berkeley, Mrak was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.
Mrak was appointed as an instructor in food technology at UC Berkeley in 1937 and became professor and department chairman in 1948. In 1951, he led the move of the department to its current location at UC Davis, and was later appointed chancellor in 1959. He was the first food scientist to ever be named president or chancellor of a college or university. The only other food scientist to have this honor is James L. Oblinger, chancellor of the North Carolina State University in Raleigh from 2005 to 2009.
A charter member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in 1939, Mrak served as its President from 1957 to 1958. He also won numerous awards within IFT, including the Nicholas Appert Award (1957), the Babcock-Hart Award (1961), the International Award (1963), election as a Fellow in 1970, and the Carl R. Fellers Award in 1984. He also served as chair of IFT's Northern California Section in 1947/48. In 1969, Mrak served as chairman of a federal government commission (which became known as the Mrak commission) that recommended restricting the use of the pesticide DDT. He also served as the first chairman of the Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Council under President Richard M. Nixon.
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