Dr. Maya Warren, Ice Cream Scientist®, turns a simple childhood love for ice cream into a world of experience. Her story is one of chemistry, curiosity, creativity, and joy. Over the years, Dr. Maya has turned a childhood of love for frozen aerated desserts into a flown-blown career.
Dr. Maya’s love for science started early. Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, she discovered a fascination with chemistry in high school and majored in it at Carleton College. It wasn’t until graduate school that her future truly began to crystalize, in the form of ice cream.
Reflecting on her journey, Dr. Maya says: “Being multifaceted is better than being one-dimensional these days. So, I am an Ice Cream Scientist® first and foremost, but I am also an artist and businesswoman. Being multifaceted and seeing how you can take something that exists and look at it through different lenses, I think is very important.”
Her academic pursuits include a Ph.D. degree in Food Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a focus on frozen aerated desserts. In addition, she also received a minor in business. Two transformative programs for Dr. Maya were the Weinert Applied Ventures in Entrepreneurship (WAVE) Practicum and the Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Bootcamp (WEB) (now known as Morgridge Entrepreneurial Bootcamp (MEB)) where she learned how to hone skills to transform her scientific expertise into innovative ventures.
As for her career, Dr. Maya has been a resounding success! She has led research and development at Cold Stone Creamery, developed products for SMiZE & Dream, and continues to innovate through her consulting firm, IC3 CRM Consulting. She explains, “I truly adore everything that is ice cream. It’s more than a delicious scoop but a beautiful science and universal language of joy.”
Adventure has always been part of her story. Over the last few years, Dr, Maya lived in Melbourne, Australia, immersing herself in a new culture while continuing to consult internationally. She recalls, “I literally moved to Australia. I got an apartment, and I was there for about two years. I met people who have become family. It was one of the best things I have ever done for myself.”
Recently, Dr. Maya’s journey came full circle through her collaboration with Happi Co & Bosslady Foods, a startup whose founders are UW-Madison graduates. Through Happi Co & Bosslady Foods’ partnership with Snoop Dogg on Dr. Bombay Ice Cream, Dr. Maya is bringing nostalgic, inventive ice cream flavors to life. “It is actually incredible that I am working with people from UW-Madison that own Happi Co & Bosslady Foods,” she says.
As the Ice Cream Scientist® for Dr. Bombay, Dr. Maya doesn’t just name flavors, she builds them. She ensures that texture, taste, and visual appeal reflect both technical precision and creative vision, helping Dr. Bombay deliver ice cream experiences that are fun, nostalgic, and unforgettable.
Dr. Maya was in Madison on October 28, 2025, as one of the alumni judges that evaluated the six teams competing in the Idea to Aisle Pitch Competition which Happi Co was sponsoring and provided a variety of flavors of Dr. Bombay Ice Cream for the students to sample.
Dr. Maya is continuously redefining what it means to a scientist, an entrepreneur, and a change maker through one, delicious, thoughtful, crafted flavor at a time.
Beyond her work in ice cream, Dr. Maya is passionate about sharing insights with students and young professionals. She emphasizes, “Use your network and learn. Never say no to an opportunity to learn. It is important to, even if it’s something that you are not sure about, to always put yourself out there.” Encouraging a multifaceted approach to life and career, Dr. Maya says, “Don’t forget to have fun, enjoy it. I literally have fun everyday doing ice cream. I love that.”
Through her work, Dr. Maya proves that the sweetest discoveries come from following your heart, embracing adventure, and sharing joy with the world. We are excited to see where this sweet partnership with Happi Co & Bosslady Foods goes and what cool treats she will churn up for Dr. Bombay Ice Cream.
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