I am a plant and food scientist currently working as a Food Product Development Fellow for the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine. The goal of our program is to complement Adelaide University's plant breeding programs by developing new and innovative food products and processes for these breeding outputs. We also aim to support researchers and industry with analytical capability and academic research in the food quality and nutrition space. Please read more about the Food Product Development group and our capabilities here.

I have expertise in the areas of plant science and food science. I completed my PhD (Oct 2020) in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine under the supervision of Prof. Rachel Burton and Dr Tina Bianco-Miotto where I explored natural variation in the seed composition of the Plantago genus as a source of novel food ingredients and nutritional supplements. Following my PhD I worked for three years on an ARC Linkage Project developing breeding and characterisation technologies for psyllium (Plantago ovata). 

My research interests encompass valorisation of novel and underutilised crops including Plantago, Salvia, industrial hemp and sorghum and applying new technologies (e.g. cold plasma, fermentation and high energy milling) to alter the function (rheological, foaming, emulsifying properties, etc.) and nutrition (fermentative, nutrient binding, antioxidant properties, etc.) of inert plant biomass and food ingredients like flour and starch. 

I am then interested in how we could supplement traditionally nutrient-poor staples like bread or pasta with these novel nutrient-dense ingredients that could be produced on marginal lands of Australia, and how this affects product quality and consumer perception.

I also have a keen interest in the relationship between dietary fibre/hydrocolloid/protein structure and (1) in-food rheological and textural properties and (2) in vivo impacts like fermentation and microbiome shifts.