Speaker and Session Chair Biographies

The Symposium's speakers and moderators consist of food scientists, technologists, technicians and engineers conducting research and developing technologies to enhance the processing of human and animal foods in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Meet the Speakers

Raliat Abioye

PhD Student, Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Canada

Raliat Abioye is a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Ottawa, Canada, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Honors Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in 2019. She has published four articles in peer-reviewed journals and is a three-time winner of the Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. At UNBC, Raliat was appointed a Research Ambassador where she spent time advocating for research involvement amongst undergraduate students. She has recently been appointed as a co-Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Coordinator with the University of Ottawa Chemistry and Biomolecular Graduate Student Association.

Lucien Cayer

Graduate Student, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada

Lucien completed a BSc at the University of Winnipeg where he majored in Chemistry. He then did a second degree in Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba. During this time, he began research on lipids, with a focus on oxylipins. He then completed a MSc in Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba, studying the impact to oxylipins from the food toxin 2-MCPD. He is currently a PhD student and Sessional Instructor in Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba, where his research aims are to develop computational modelling procedures for oxylipins.

Anuj Chandel

Professor, Department of Biology, Engineering School of Lorena, University of São Paulo, Brazil

Dr. Anuj Chandel is a professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Engineering School of Lorena, University of São Paulo, Brazil. He has over 20 years’ research experience working on process optimization and large-scale production of industrial enzymes and vaccine particles, biofuels, and membrane-based separation of fats, proteins, and viruses. His primary research interest is to develop sustainable processes for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass into renewable fuels and biochemicals by bridging the gap between research laboratories and industries. He has published 95 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 45 book chapters and has edited 15 books on various aspects of industrial biotechnology.

Guanqun (Gavin) Chen

Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Plant Lipid Biotechnology, Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Canada

Dr. Guanqun (Gavin) Chen is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Plant Lipid Biotechnology in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta, Canada. His research interests are to expand our understanding of storage lipid biosynthesis and develop biotechnological approaches to improve oil yield and quality in seeds and microorganisms. This knowledge platform will also better enable us to redesign lipid biosynthesis to produce unusual fatty acids for nutraceutical and industrial applications.

Amanda Clairoux

Research Assistant, University of Ottawa, Canada

Amanda Clairoux is a full-time undergraduate Biochemistry student at the University of Ottawa. She has been a Volunteer Research Assistant with Udenigwe’s Lab (Food Protein Research Group) since October 2020 and has interests in food allergies and functional foods. Amanda is also very passionate about science education and communication. She hosts programming camps for kids, tutors university-level courses and delivers science and technology workshops to elementary and high-school classrooms. In her free time, Amanda likes to knit, bake, and play saxophone.

Neksha Devaki

Master’s Student, Food and Bioproduct Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

I am Neksha Diwakar Devaki, currently pursuing master's degree in Food and Bioproduct Sciences from 2019 in University of Saskatchewan. I have completed my bachelor's degree in Biotechnology. My current research focuses on utilizing mildly fractionated pea proteins for the development of heat-treated canola beverage emulsions. I am currently working with Dr. Supratim Ghosh and very excited about my research.

Thilini Dissanayake

Student, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada

Thilini Dissanayake is an MSc student in the Food Proteins and Bioproducts Research Group at University of Manitoba under the supervision of Dr. Nandika Bandara. Her research studies aim to develop protein-based bioproducts that ensure sustainability. Currently, she is working on developing a canola protein-based food packaging film reinforced with modified nanocrystalline cellulose for her master’s thesis. She expects to start her Ph.D. next year in the same group and aims to work in the area of protein-based nanodelivery systems. Thilini earned her bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka in 2018. She has additional research experiences at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden for five months and University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia for two months.

Stacie L Dobson

Ph.D. Student, Food Science, University of Guelph, Canada

Stacie Dobson is a Ph.D. Student at the University of Guelph supervised by Dr. Alejandro Marangoni of the Food, Health and Aging Laboratory. Her research focuses on plant protein and starch functionality in plant-based food systems. Her current project is aimed at creating a high-protein, plant-based cheese analogue, and isolating plant proteins to create materials with desired functional properties. Stacie also obtained her Master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Marangoni, where she developed a novel process for the creation of a fibrous meat analogue. Stacie also has a certificate as a Professional Culinary Chef, which has helped her further understand the food industry and create products with desired tastes and textures.

N. A. Michael Eskin

C.M. O.M. Ph.D FIFT FAOCS FCIFST FIFST, Professor, Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada

Michael Eskin, a former Chair and Associate Dean, is in his 54th year as Professor in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. He has done extensive research on edible oils and was involved in the development of canola oil. His research on food lipids, food carbohydrates , food phenolics, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, involves the interaction between food chemistry, nutrition and human health. Michael has published 150 research papers, 65 chapters, and 17 books including the third edition of his well known textbook BIOCHEMISTRY OF FOODS published by Elsevier/Academic Press in 2013. He is the recipient of the Stephen S. Chang Award by IFT, and the Supelco AOCS Research Award, Stephen S. Chang Award, Alton S. Bailey Medal, Herbert J. Dutton Award and the Timothy Mounts Award by the American Oil Chemists’ Society. In 2016, he received the Order of Canada and in 2021 the Order of Manitoba, for his pioneering research that led to the success of the Canadian canola oil industry. This year he was also elected Fellow of the Royal Soiety of Canada. In 2017, Dr. Eskin was voted by the student body of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences as Professor of the Year. He is Fellow of IFT, The American Oil Chemists’ Society, Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology, and Institute of Food Science and Technology in the UK. He sits on the editorial boards of five international food and nutrition journals and the Advances in Food and Nutrition Research Board. He is also well known for his lipid raps, used in universities around the world.

Olamide Fadairo

PhD Candidate, Food and Human Nutrition Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada

Olamide Fadairo holds bachelor’s degree in Food Technology ( First class honors) from the University of Ibadan and a master’s degree in Food safety and Quality Engineering (Distinction) from the University of Debrecen, Hungary. He also holds Higher National Diploma (Distinction) in Food Technology from The Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Ogun State Nigeria. Olamide Fadairo was a recipient of the Friesland Campina (WAMCO) Nigeria Plc award for the best graduating student from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and a Stipendium Hungaricum Scholar, University of Debrecen, Hungary.
He is currently pursuing his PhD degree in Food science in the department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Richardson Centre for Functional foods and Nutraceuticals, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. His doctoral research focuses “Assessment of antioxidant phenolics and tocopherols from Canola oil and meal from green pre-treatment and extraction technologies”, a Collaboratory project funded by Canola Council of Canada and other industry partners. By extension, elucidating on the impacts of processing techniques on the phenolic profile and other minor components of oil-seeds, mainly mustard and canola co-products.

Anujit Ghosal

Postdoctoral Fellow, Food and Human Nutrition Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada

I completed my Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry and have worked as an assistant professor in India. I have worked extensively in the area of polymer sciences (natural/ synthetic polymers), hydrogels, synthesis of metal & metal oxide nanoparticles, and fabrication of inorganic-organic hybrid nanostructured materials for drug delivery other broader applications. I have co-edited two books, published number of book chapters and research articles. At present I am working on renewable protein-based nano-delivery systems and bio-based adhesives.

Supratim Ghosh

Associate Professor, Food and Bioproduct Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

Supratim Ghosh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food and Bioproduct Sciences of University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. He received PhD from the Pennsylvania State University, USA and did postdoctoral research at the Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. His research interest is in emulsion and colloid science including food physical chemistry, structure-function relationship, food nanotechnology and complex colloidal chemistry. His team has been working on utilizing plant proteins to create structured food emulsions, oleogels and deliver bioactives via nanoemulsions for improved health benefits and sustainability in food production. Supratim is also a Senior Associate Editor of Journal of American oil Chemists’ Society.

Andrew J. Gravelle

PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, USA

Dr. Gravelle’s research centers around characterizing the relationship between structural properties and functionality in foods using a materials science approach. To this end, his research activities focus on establishing a more fundamental understanding of how the composition and molecular architecture of multi-component foods impacts their mechanical and sensory response. Particular emphasis is given to characterizing fat-filled food gels, with a target of developing rational design principals that can be used to effectively implement new and emerging ingredients (such as plant-derived proteins).
A second focus of Dr. Gravelle’s research program is the development and characterization of structured oil systems, commonly referred to as “oleogels”. This technology shows promise for mimicking the desirable functional and sensory attributes of traditional fats, while providing an opportunity to optimize the nutritional profile and reduce environmental impact. Further applications include the delivery and controlled release of bioactive compounds.

Anuruddika Hetti Hewage

Student (MSc) Reading RhD, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba-Winnipeg, MB, Canada

I am Anuruddika Hetti Hewage, currently reading Ph.D.(Food Science) at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. I completed my bachelor's degree in Agriculture (majoring in Food Science and Technology) at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. After graduation, I worked in the Food Industry (Tea and spices) for several years before pursuing my master's degree in Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India.

Farah Hosseinian

PhD, Professor, Food Science, Chemistry, Carleton University, Canada

Dr. Farah Hosseinian’s research focus is to understand the structure-function relationships of novel odd-chain phytochemicals (mainly phenolic lipids) and their homologues from agri-food by-products/waste (e.g. wheat bran, flaxseed meal/soybean meal, berry pulp, skin and seeds) in microemulsion systems enhancing emulsifier, stabilizer and antioxidant properties in foods. We assess the above properties at cell membranes using liposomes.

Janani Jayasinghe Mudiyanselage

Student, Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada

I am originally from Sri Lanka. I did my BSc. in Agricultural Technology and Management at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. I am currently a second-year master's student at the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences. My research is focusing on the development of polysaccharide and lipid-based delivery systems for encapsulation of Salmo salar protein hydrolysates derived from biproducts.

Ye Ling Li

MSc Student, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Canada

Eileen Li, BSc, is completing her MSc in Human Health and Nutritional Science at the University of Guelph in Dr. Amanda Wright’s lab. Their lab has been investigating the relationship between lipid physical state and digestibility. Eileen’s research project, specifically, focuses on the digestibility of emulsions containing saturated fats with different degrees of crystallinity, and the potential health impacts of saturated fat intake using both static and dynamic in vitro digestion models. Using the two static models, their lab has recently found that emulsion crystallinity can be impacted by the digestate colloidal properties which then alter in vitro digestibility. Eileen is passionate about nutrition and food research and with her MSc degree, she is looking to apply the research-related skills learned in the future workplace.

Xinjie Liu

Student, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

I am Xinjie Liu, in the food science Master's program at the University of Saskatchewan. My bachelor's degree is achieved from the University of Saskatchewan in food and bioproduct science. I am interested in lipid science and bioinformatics. My project focuses on identifying the change of Camelina sativa seed’s fatty acid composition after treating Fast Neutron mutagenesis and analyzing their genotype of mutant lines containing desired fatty acid composition, like higher essential fatty acid or lower gondoic acid etc.

Thu Nguyen

Master Student, Food and Human Nutrition Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada

I am a Master in University of Manitoba. My academic background can ve described in the areas of Food Technology and Nutraceutical. I am eager to advance my knowledge in extraction method, phytochemicals analysis of food and plant-based products. Artificial additives might not have harmful effects on human health but it is unfavorable as daily intake, therefore, extraction of natural nutrients need to be optimized so that it can be directly consumed or added back to food products for better nutritional quality.

Yasushi Ogasawara

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Japan

Yasushi Ogasawara received his B.S. (2000) and Ph.D. (2005) degrees from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan) under the supervision of Prof. Katsumi Kakinuma and Prof. Tadashi Eguchi. He studied with Prof. Hung-wen Liu at the University of Texas, Austin as a postdoctoral fellow (2005–2011) and then worked at the University of New Mexico (2012–2014) as a research assistant professor. He was appointed Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University in 2014 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2021. His current research focuses on natural product chemistry including (i) biosynthesis, (ii) in vitro and in vivo characterization of enzymes, and (iii) discovery of novel natural products.

Marleny D.A. Saldaña

PhD, Professor, Food/Bio-Engineering Processing, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Canada

Dr. Saldaña is a professor in Food/Bio-Engineering Processing in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences at University of Alberta in Canada. She has a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering with specialization in Process Engineering from State University of Campinas, Brazil. She is internationally recognized for her work on emerging processing technologies, including sub/super-critical carbon dioxide and water processing, ultrasound and high-pressure processing to treat food, biomass and agricultural residues to obtain high-value bioactive compounds, biopolymers and chemicals for use in nutraceutical, functional food and industrial applications. Her research includes extraction, fractionation, reaction and particle formation and the combination of these unit operations to develop novel processes to obtain desired high-value products.
Dr. Saldaña has received various international awards from academia and industry, including the 2017-2018 McCalla Professorship award. She is a reviewer for national/international grant applications. She was the chair and organizer for the Natural Health Product (NHP) Conference held in Edmonton in 2019. She has served in the NSERC RTI committee. Dr. Saldaña is a member of various associations such as CIFST (Member at Large for the AB Section), IFT, ISSF, NHPRS (Member at Large) among others. She is currently Editor of the Journal of Food Engineering Reviews.

Sonu Sharma

PhD Engineering Candidate, School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Canada

My name is Sonu Sharma, Ph.D. Engg. (Biological) Candidate at School of Engineering, University of Guelph. I have a master’s in Food Process Engineering from IIT Kharagpur and a bachelor’s in Agricultural and Food Engineering from CCS Haryana Agricultural University, two premier institutes in India. My Ph.D. Engineering research involves waste to value ideas. Based on it, I focused on value-addition to Ontario bioethanol industrial by-products. Primarily, valorization is studied through proteins and peptides. In addition, my masters’ research involved computer vision techniques for quality evaluation of turmeric during solar drying and hot air-drying methods. I collaborated with other team members in projects related to food packaging, hyperspectral imaging for protein content prediction, plastic, and waste valorization, and detection of pesticide residues in pulses.
Dynamic, independent, self-motivated, and innovative researcher with 5+ years of invaluable hands-on research experience with expertise in the research area of protein extraction, bioactive peptides, drying techniques, computer vision techniques, protein valorization from food and grain wastes/by-products.

Xiaohong Sun

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Nutrition Sciences, University of Ottawa, Canada

Dr. Xiaohong Sun is currently working as a postdoctoral research fellow at School of Nutrition Sciences, University of Ottawa, Canada, and also an Associate Professor at College of Food and Biological Engineering, Qiqihar University, China. She got her Ph.D. degree majoring in Food Science and Technology in University of Alberta in 2017. Dr Sun was awarded the NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) postdoctoral fellowship in 2019 and the Postdoctoral Fellowships in Nutrition and Mental Health (University of Ottawa) in 2021. Her main research interests include food-derived bioactive peptides, emerging processing technologies, food matrix interaction and value addition to agro-food byproducts. She has published 27 peer-reviewed papers in high impact journals in Food research field and four book chapters.

Chibuike Udenigwe

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Nutrition Sciences, University of Ottawa, Canada

Chibuike Udenigwe is a Professor and University Research Chair at the School of Nutrition Sciences, a cross-appointed Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, and a Faculty Affiliate at the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, University of Ottawa, Canada. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba, and was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Guelph.
His research takes the chemical sciences approach in exploring food proteins in nutrition and health, with a focus on sustainable processing, functional foods and nutraceuticals, and beneficial effects on human health. He has published >180 journal articles and book chapters.
Dr. Udenigwe was a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow. He served as the Vice-Chair of Canadian Section of AOCS, and Secretary-Treasurer/Vice-Chair/Chair of AOCS Protein and Co-products Division. He currently serves as Editor for Food Hydrocolloids for Health journal, and on the Administrative Council of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) Early Career Scientists Section. He has received several recognitions for his work, including the American Chemical Society–Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Young Scientist Award, AOCS Young Scientist Research Award, and IUFoST Young Scientist Award. Dr. Udenigwe is a member of the Global Young Academy.

Huiqi Wang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Nutrition Sciences, University of Ottawa, Canada

Huiqi Wang obtained her Bachelor of Science from Hefei Normal University, China in 2015 and her Master of Engineering from Jiangnan University, China in 2018. She will complete her PhD from the Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta, Canada. During her time at the Utilization of Lipids-Polymers/Materials Chemistry Group, she works on projects dealing with nano-carriers for targeted drug delivery. In particular, she focuses on the synthesis of various biocompatible block copolymers and their bioconjugates using controlled living radical polymerization techniques.

Wendy Wismer

CFS, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Canada

Wendy Wismer, CFS, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta. She has an undergraduate degree in Food Science from the University of Alberta, and earned her MSc Consumer Studies and PhD Food Science at the University of Guelph. Dr. Wismer’s career path has taken her across Canada, to New Zealand and back, resulting in expertise in the sensory and consumer science evaluation of a wide variety of food products, from beef and elk to kiwifruit and apples. At the University of Alberta her research program focus follows two streams: enhanced taste appeal of foods for patients with cancer, and sensory attribute and consumer acceptance of novel food technologies such as 3D printing, and novel food ingredients including pulses and insects.

Delnavaz Yazdansepas

MSc Student, Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Canada

Delnavaz obtained her BSc. in Food Science and Nutrition with a minor in Biology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Her undergraduate research project has focused on the effects of Maillard reaction on bioavailability of essential amino acids. She is currently working in Food and Soft Material lab as a master’s student in Chemistry and Biology department at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. Her research focuses on the effects of protein composition, heat treatment and its duration on yogurt gel formation and release of DPP-IV inhibitory peptides in-vitro digestion.

Zhitong Zhou

PhD Candidate, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Canada

Zoe (Zhitong) Zhou (Ph.D. Candidate) joined Food Science at the University of Guelph (Canada) after her M.Sc. in Food Technology from Wageningen University (The Netherlands) and her B.Sc. in Food Science and Technology from Jiangnan University (China). Her bachelor thesis focused on the ‘Antioxidant Properties of Dragon Fruit Enzyme Beverage’ at the Nanyang Polytechnic (Singapore) and her masters thesis was on ‘Effect of Polar Lipids on the Properties of Recombined Dairy Cream’. Her current research focuses on the digestion of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). She won the Guelph Food Technology Centre Legacy Fund Award (2020) due to her excellent academic performance.

Meet the Session Chairs

Hongbing Fan

PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Canada

Dr. Fan is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Jianping Wu’s group in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta. His primary research interests include protein chemistry, functional foods, and bioactive peptides. Hongbing is a member of several professional organizations in Food Science & Technology including IFT, ISNFF and AOCS. In AOCS, he has previously served as the chair of the Student Common Interest Group (2019-2021) and has been involved in the Canadian Section of AOCS leadership team (2019-2021). He also worked with other professionals and organized technical and poster sessions in Protein & Co-Products and Health & Nutrition Divisions at 2020-2022 annual meetings.

Andrew J. Gravelle

PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, USA

Dr. Gravelle’s research centers around characterizing the relationship between structural properties and functionality in foods using a materials science approach. To this end, his research activities focus on establishing a more fundamental understanding of how the composition and molecular architecture of multi-component foods impacts their mechanical and sensory response. Particular emphasis is given to characterizing fat-filled food gels, with a target of developing rational design principals that can be used to effectively implement new and emerging ingredients (such as plant-derived proteins).
A second focus of Dr. Gravelle’s research program is the development and characterization of structured oil systems, commonly referred to as “oleogels”. This technology shows promise for mimicking the desirable functional and sensory attributes of traditional fats, while providing an opportunity to optimize the nutritional profile and reduce environmental impact. Further applications include the delivery and controlled release of bioactive compounds.

Farah Hosseinian

PhD, Professor, Food Science, Chemistry, Carleton University, Canada

Dr. Farah Hosseinian’s research focus is to understand the structure-function relationships of novel odd-chain phytochemicals (mainly phenolic lipids) and their homologues from agri-food by-products/waste (e.g. wheat bran, flaxseed meal/soybean meal, berry pulp, skin and seeds) in microemulsion systems enhancing emulsifier, stabilizer and antioxidant properties in foods. We assess the above properties at cell membranes using liposomes.

Apollinaire Tsopmo

PhD, Professor, Food Science Program, Chemistry, Carleton University, Canada

Dr. Tsopmo is a Professor of Food Science at the Department of Chemistry, at Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada. His areas of interests are food chemistry, food structures, analyses, and functionalities. Topics of research are identification of bioactive peptides derived from foods for reduction of oxidative stress, Inhibition of enzymes and secretion of hormones as potential mechanism of bioactive food molecules to mitigate diabetes, obesity, structure-function of food peptides using molecular modeling, effects of growing conditions of vegetables nutrients (vitamins, minerals) and their bioavailability. His research group have identified several novel compounds with various biological properties including. Some have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties while some are inhibitors of enzymes and regulators of hormones involve the digestion or absorption of sugar and fats.

Mehmet Tulbek

PhD, President, Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre, Canada

Dr. Mehmet Tulbek is the President of Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre. Mehmet has been a research, technology, and innovation leader with over 20 years of pulses, cereals, oilseeds and plant-based foods’ global research & development, technical services, business development, international technical education, and management experience. Mehmet completed his B.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering with emphasis in Food Science and Technology at Ankara University, and his M.Sc. in Food Engineering at Istanbul Technical University in Turkey. He then moved to the United States to pursue his Ph.D. in Cereal Science at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. Before joining Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre, Mehmet served as the Director of Research and Development at AGT Food and Ingredients in Saskatoon, Canada, and worked at Northern Crops Institute (NCI) as Crop Quality Specialist and then as Technical Director. Mehmet is a sought-after presenter at global industry and academic gatherings, and has authored several journal articles, book chapters, proceedings and two provisional patents. Mehmet is a member of multiple organizations including IFT, AOCS, CIFST, CNS, and Cereals & Grains Association (former AACC). He currently serves as Adjunct Professor at the University Of Saskatchewan Department Of Food and Bioproduct Sciences and the University of Manitoba Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences.

Aman Ullah

PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

Dr. Aman Ullah received his PhD (with distinction) in Chemical Sciences and Technologies in 2010 from University of Genova, Italy by working together at Southern Methodist University, USA. He is tenured associate professor at the University of Alberta and his research group focusses on the development of biochemicals, biopolymers/biomaterials from lipids and other renewable resources. Aman has more than 70 publications, 5 patents/patent applications and has received 17 awards including Canadian Rising Star award in Global Health by Grand Challenges Canada, ALES Research and Innovation for outstanding research contributions by young faculty member and ASTech Awards Finalists for the 30th Annual ASTech Innovation Awards.