UNE’s Angus Dingley is exploring how temperature extremes affect pollination in polytunnels to help growers produce more and better berries.

We congratulate Ripan Debnath on taking out his PhD from UNSW and for securing a new role as a Consultant for the University of Newcastle’s Institute for Regional Futures.

At the end of his transformative 12-month tenure as FFS CEO, we sat down with Dr James Krahe to delve into his academic journey, hear about significant milestones in his career, and gain insight into his enthusiasm for collaboration and its power to bring about transformative real-world outcomes.

As CRC Industry PhD student attached to the ‘Blueberry nutritional optimisation’ project, Gareema Pandey is working with crop scientists and sustainability experts at Western Sydney University and NSW Department of Primary Industries to improve the nutritional profile of blueberries grown undercover.

Distinguished Professor David Tissue’s recent trip included visits to former students and leading research institutions, a gigantic flux tower tour and some memorable dinners.

Scientia A/Prof. Donald’s love of mass spectrometry took him from UC Berkeley to UNSW; where his research includes leading an exciting FFS project with All G Foods.

Western Sydney University PhD student Claudia Vacca has spent their career studying plant pathogens, from trees to potatoes, developing new ways for early detection and intervention.

Thriving in the male-dominated fields of freight and logistics is no easy feat. But Dr Elli Irannezhad is no ordinary woman.  

FFS PhD student Mazadul Islam is working with experts in two nations to find more sustainable ways to fertigate indoor vegetable crops.

Darwin-based FFS PhD scholar Gehan Abdelghany’s research is contributing valuable agronomic information to the FFS-backed ‘Commercialising native rice’ project.

A grades in high-school science turned into a career path for Sumitra Saha, who recently joined Murdoch University as a PhD student on the’Novel microbiome technology’ project team.

UNSW A/Prof. Jason Scott specialises in developing sustainable new materials, including planet-friendly plasterboard and F&B packaging for FFS. F&B packaging for FFS.

Coast’s expertise in crop responses to environmental stress has helped growers globally. Now he’s lending it to leading grower Costa.

FFS PhD scholar Agyemang is modelliing freight data along the agrifood supply chain to boost efficiency and reduce waste on the path from farm to fork.

Prof. Han has used AI to ascertain land and CBD floorspace use, property values and more. Next, he’s keen to apply it to agrifood freight logistics and decision-making.

Mahesh Galappaththi’s BSc thesis was on elephant-human conflict in Sri Lanka; now, he’s looking to ascertain optimal conditions for truffle cultivation in WA.

A world-leading plant microbiologist and Director of the Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation at Western Sydney University, Dist. Prof. Singh leads a FFSCRC project developing bio-based solutions to combat key root pathogens in Australia’s protected cropping systems.

FFS Industry PhD Kundu is working with UNSW scientists and All G Foods to ascertain the precise makeup of dairy proteins.

Dr Rona Chandrawati is a Scientia Associate Professor within UNSW’s School of Chemical Engineering and one of the Faculty of Engineering’s most awarded academics.

FFSCRC Industry PhD student and Western Sydney University student Sonali Koundal is exploring sustainable ways to fertigate glasshouse-grown vegetable crops for the benefit of growers and the environment.

UNSW Sydney PhD student and FFSCRC PhD student Yi-Ya Hsu is developing a tool to help planners and policymakers formulate a smart, sustainable mixed-use strategy for available city office space.

Mindy Woods, Indigenous chef-restaurateur, two-times MasterChef contestant, Australian culinary ambassador and 2022 Future of Food Summit Gala Dinner keynote, talks about a sustainable approach to food that’s been honed over millennia..

CRC Industry PhD student Miranda Yang is exploring novel methods for spray-drying CRC industry partner Baker & Co’s liquid spice ingredients to increase their shelf life and make it simpler to transport them.

Indigenous foods and sustainability champion, former MasterChef contestant and proud Bundjalung woman Mindy Woods will be the MC for the 2022 Future of Food Summit Gala Dinner on the evening of 1 December at Queensland Museum, in Brisbane’s CBD.

She’s the Academic Chair in Biosecurity and Food Security at Murdoch University and a seasoned plant biotechnologist. A/Prof. Bayliss also leads a $1.4M project part-funded by the CRC that’s set to boost the yields of popular fruit and vegetable crops. 

This spring, Irish doctoral candidate Suzanne Kelly tours partner universities as a guest of the Future Food Systems CRC, looking at agrifood-related research involving social capital, innovation and knowledge exchange.

Future Food Systems PhD student Emily Davies is investigating the composition and safety of herbal weight loss supplements while learning from world-leading scientists at Murdoch Uni’s ANPC and using multi-million-dollar Bruker equipment.

Andrew Tilley studied food science and technology at Perth WA’s Curtin University, but took the long way round to a CRC-backed PhD at Murdoch via the food manufacturing industry.

Sri-Lanka-born, Western Sydney University-based Eranda Namal Jayasuriya is one of two PhD students attached to the CRC’s ‘IoT for indoor cropping’ project. 

Supervised by Prof. Zhonghua Chen, CRC PhD student Terry Lin is assessing the long-term performance of various cooling technologies and greenhouse set-ups at WSU’s high-tech glasshouse facility.

Creating transparency of the world’s food supply is the clear motivation for Fraser Taylor, GM of the FoodSwitch program at The George Institute for Global Health.

Yusuf Adewale, PhD student, is developing a predictive modelling tool for ascertaining egg production and quality.

QUT PhD and FFS PhD Lijun Summerhayes is researching urban food planning in Australia.

Odgerel Bumandalai is a FFSCRC PhD student at CRC partner institution Murdoch University. Bumandalai’s thesis is investigating the use of cold-plasma technology to extend the safe shelf life of fresh spirulina.

UNSW PhD student Rishi Ravindra Naik is looking to develop new products with ‘clean label’ and sustainability claims by modifying non-traditional plant proteins with seaweeds for improved techno-functionality.

Western Sydney University’s Prof. Zhonghua Chen is an expert in plant physiology, plant breeding, biophysics and agronomy – and an academic mentor to Australia’s next generation of crop scientists. 

AARSC senior researcher Craig Shephard leads the National PC mapping project, an initiative of Protected Cropping Australia supported by Hort Innovation, UNE, LLSNSW and the CRC. He’s also a keen mountain-biker.

Hear BeefLedger Chair Warwick Powell discuss the ‘Smart trade’ team’s blockchain-backed digital platform and its potential to streamline cross-border trade.

Queensland University of Technology’s Dr Ozgur Dedehayir researches the strategic implications of technological evolution, disruptive innovations and their impacts on society. Most recently, he’s been focused on food innovation ecosystems – a topic that resonates with this keen home chef.

CRC Board member Peter Schutz OAM has netted the 2021 Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology President’s Award for his outstanding contribution to the Australian food industry. 

Charles Darwin University’s Dr Sean Bellairs is a specialist in site revegetation and in breeding and establishing plants indigenous to Australia’s north. He’s also the research lead on the CRC’s four-year, multi-partner ‘Native rice commercialisation’ project.

For University of New England’s Professor Derek Baker, better agribusiness means everything from improving regional infrastructure to reducing waste and finding more resilient, responsive paths to market.

Dr Ruey-Leng Loo is a clinical pharmacist who is focusing her clinical expertise on the application of metabolic phenotyping in epidemiological and nutritional studies.

Mark Cardamis has graduated from making mini greenhouse prototypes to joining a collaborative university-industry project team as a CRC Industry PhD, exploring mobile sensing systems for remote monitoring of crops in advanced indoor greenhouse systems.

QUT Design Lab head and Professor of Urban Informatics Marcus Foth undertakes cutting-edge transdisciplinary work that “brings together people, place and technology”. He’s also leading the CRC’s Smart Trade Hubs project, and using his expertise to help save wombats and bees.

UK-trained QUT biochemist Robert Speight is leading a new CRC project with Sanitarium Health Food Company exploring healthy proteins for plant-based products.

Murdoch University Associate Professor Vicky Solah brings 36 years of expertise in food science and human nutrition to the CRC. Right now she’s profiling artichokes for CRC partner Mt Lindesay. Next, she’ll begin upcycled fruit-and-veg product trials at the new WA Food Innovation Precinct.

In a career spanning decades, continents and planets, Distinguished Professor David Tissue has maintained a thirst for exploration and a desire to help crops thrive, even in the most hostile environments.

For UNSW Associate Professor and networked embedded sensor expert Wen Hu, automated farms supplying ‘smart cities’ with premium fresh food are the way of the future. And IoT systems are paving the way to this new, networked reality.

For Egyptian academic Gehan Abdelghany, who’s spent much of her career to date finding beneficial uses of indigenous plant species, undertaking a PhD with the FFS-backed ‘Commercialising native rice’ project was a natural progression.

UNSW Associate Professor Pat Spicer’s broad-ranging career spans industry, academia and two continents. The constants? Complex fluids and collaboration.

For Dr Gal Winter, lecturer and microbiologist at northern NSW’s University of New England, studying the ecology of microbe colonies – most recently, those surrounding tomato plant roots – has been a cross-continental endeavour.

QUT-based robotics engineer Dr Chris Lehnert specialises in solving commercial automation challenges, developing novel solutions for an array of real-world applications. Right now, he’s developing components for high-tech vertical farm modules in a CRC collaboration with Greenbio.

For Priti Krishna, Foundation Chair of Sustainable Agriculture at Western Sydney University and lead researcher on the CRC’s Blueberry nutritional optimisation project, it’s not just about growing better crops; it’s about growing crops better.

For this IT-pro-turned-UNE-microbiology post-grad, the chance to study the root microbiome of greenhouse-grown tomatoes with Costa Group under the CRC was one too good to refuse.

This brilliant scientist was the first in her family to attend university. But for Elaine Holmes, world-leading metabolic scientist, WA Premier’s Research Fellow and recent recipient of a prestigious Australian Laureate ARC Fellowship, academia proved a natural fit.

Queensland University of Technology Professor Sagadevan Mundree is an expert in the fields of biochemistry and cell biology, agricultural and industrial biotechnology, and tropical crops – notably pulses. He also loves to hike.

For UNSW’s Professor Sami Kara, sustainable manufacturing is a key to future prosperity and a cleaner, greener planet. Scientica Education Fellow and Director of Vertically Integrated Projects in the University of New South Wales’ Faculty of Engineering, Sami isn’t one to silo […]

Maridulu Budyari Gumal, otherwise known as the Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise, or SPHERE, draws its ranks from 14 thought-leading organisations across the Sydney basin – universities, hospitals, research institutes, community and primary care centres. It utilises […]

As an agri-biotech company, Greenbio Group looks forward to working with automation experts in the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision at Queensland University of Technology to develop high-tech automated facilities in which to grow food and medicinal plants for use in high-value […]

As a food grower, you might think I’m part of a dying breed of people. Climate change, scarcity of arable land and price pressures are enough to add worry lines to the most weathered farmer’s face. And while I worry […]

CRC partner Providence Asset Group brings a wealth of expertise around smart technologies – including renewable energy for microgrids and world-first hydrogen technology for green-power storage – to the collective table, and is positioned to play a key role in […]

New CRC partner BeefLedger, with its expertise in blockchain technology and hands-on experience in the Chinese market, will be a boon to participants looking to export premium high-value food products. And that doesn’t just mean beef. Driven by a belief […]

Cordelia Selomulya is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at UNSW  Sydney and has taken up a lead role in the Future Food Systems CRC  (FFS) as its Director of Research & Commercialisation. She brings extensive experience working with industry partners, […]