2026 FFS Research Showcase

Lineup

• More details about Dr Rishi Naik (MC), UNSW Sydney

  Dr Rishi Naik (MC), UNSW Sydney

  Dr Rishi Ravindra Naik is a Chemical Engineering Graduate within the Faculty of Engineering at UNSW Sydney, undertaking a PhD in Food Science and Technology. Before deciding to further his studies in food science, Naik was a Research Executive at Raje Agro Foods Private Limited, a food processing firm in Pune, India, In 2017, he was awarded a GATE Scholarship to fund a three-year Masters of Technology in Food Engineering and Technology at the SLIET institute in Punjab. On graduating, he spent a year as visiting lecturer at KSKW College of Science in Nashik, India before a UIPA Scholarship enabled him to travel to Australia to do his doctorate at UNSW. Rishi Naik’s PhD project explored novel ways to create functional, bioactive plant proteins, using ultrasonic-assisted Maillard conjugation to modify non-traditional plant proteins with seaweeds for improved techno-functionality.

• More details about Assoc. Prof. Chris Lehnert | QUT Centre for Robotics

  Assoc. Prof. Chris Lehnert | QUT Centre for Robotics

  Associate Professor Christopher Lehnert earned his Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) from the University of Queensland and subsequently completed his PhD at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Following his doctoral studies, he remained at QUT as a post-doctoral researcher and now serves as a Senior Lecturer in Robotics and Chief Investigator at both the QUT Centre for Robotics and the Australian Cobotics Centre. Assoc. Prof. Lehnert has been involved in numerous innovative projects, including Moving to See, Reaching in Clutter using Force and Tactile Feedback, A robotic site-specific crop and weed management tool and the development of Harvey, the Robotic Capsicum Harvester. One of the early highlights of his career was participating and winning the 2017 Amazon Robotics Challenge. He led the now-completed Robotic Vertical Farming Systems project for the Future Food Systems CRC and has also completed the Autonomous Robotic Platforms for Greenhouses project, a collaboration with national vegetable grower and FFSCRC industry partner P’Petual Holdings. Assoc. Prof. Lehnert is now leading exciting work in developing a robotic banana de-handing system in the project Banana Dehanding Tech.

• More details about Alison Lu | Perfection Fresh

  Alison Lu | Perfection Fresh

  Alison Lu is the Head of Technical – Vegetables at Perfection Fresh Australia, one of Australia's leading fresh produce companies, supplying premium fruit and vegetables to major retailers, foodservice customers and export markets. She leads food safety, quality assurance and technical innovation across the vegetable supply chain. With extensive experience working with growers, retailers and research institutions, Alison is passionate about translating research into practical solutions that improve product quality, sustainability and commercial outcomes for the fresh produce industry. Through strong industry and research partnerships, she helps drive innovation that delivers tangible benefits from farm to consumer.

• More details about Hanieh Noeparast | School of Science, Western Sydney University

  Hanieh Noeparast | School of Science, Western Sydney University

  Hanieh Noeparast is a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University, where she is investigating sustainable solutions for pathogen detection and postharvest management in Australian native finger limes. Having worked in the food industry, Hanieh became aware of how time-consuming and laborious current pathogen detection methods can be, often leading to delayed diagnosis, allowing pathogens to spread and resulting in significant food and agricultural waste. Her research focuses on developing a CRISPR-Cas12a-based molecular diagnostic system for the early, field-deployable detection of Diaporthe citri, one of the most common citrus pathogens. By integrating this cutting-edge biotechnology with a comprehensive study of finger lime production, Hanieh’s work aims to enable early intervention, reduce fungicide use, and promote sustainable farm management.

• More details about Natalie Aaron | Particle and Catalysis Research Group, UNSW Sydney

  Natalie Aaron | Particle and Catalysis Research Group, UNSW Sydney

  Natalie is a PhD student at UNSW. Her FFS project explores the carbonation of Mg-rich brines into high-purity hydrated magnesium carbonate materials which can be used as sustainable building materials. Natalie is a part of the Particles and Catalysis Research Group at UNSW and is supervised by Assoc. Prof. Jason Scott and Scientia Prof. Rose Amal. Her research is also supported by EcoMag, an Australian company which produces high-quality magnesium products from desalination brines. “I’m excited to work on a project that has so many real-world applications.”

• More details about Dr Richard Thomas | School of Science, Western Sydney University

  Dr Richard Thomas | School of Science, Western Sydney University

  Dr Richard Thomas is a Senior Lecturer at Western Sydney University. An archaeological scientist and chemist with a PhD from Cardiff University, Richard’s specialist research interests are in the application of remote sensing. Richard has over 20 years’ experience in the science-based study of Early Bronze Age metallurgy and has been involved in work on radiogenic isotope study of population dynamics. More recently, he has been involved in horticultural research particularly in regard to the use of Ground Penetrating Radar, resistivity and conductivity measurements and satellite image analysis for study of crop dynamics and disease in economically important crops. Currently, Richard is the Project Leader on the ‘Optimising blueberry fruit nutritional quality’ research project with LLEAF and NSW DPI, supported by Future Food Systems.

• More details about Maryam Safarnezhad | School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW Sydney

  Maryam Safarnezhad | School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW Sydney

  Passionate about advancing innovation in logistics, Maryam Safarnezhad is developing AI-driven optimisation approaches to improve the efficiency and resilience of Australia’s freight and port systems. She recognises that even small operational improvements can deliver significant benefits across the logistics network — reducing delays, improving coordination, and enabling smarter, more responsive supply chains for the future. Maryam is a PhD candidate at UNSW Sydney’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation (rCITI). Her research applies advanced optimisation and AI methods to enhance decision-making in port logistics. By developing data-driven models that minimise inefficiencies and streamline freight operations, her work supports the creation of a more connected, adaptive, and sustainable logistics environment across Australia.

• More details about Dr Mark Cardamis | UNSW Computer Science and Engineering

  Dr Mark Cardamis | UNSW Computer Science and Engineering

  PhD Graduate, Dr Mark Cardamis was previously employed in the home automation industry. He returned to his alumnus in 2021 to work on an industry-led Future Food Systems CRC project to develop machine-learning systems that will allow tomorrow’s growers to manage indoor crops from anywhere via smartphone. In 2008, Cardamis completed a Bachelor of Engineering with a Major in Mechatronics (First Class Honours) from UNSW Sydney. Back then, his research focused on control systems. Cardamis was awarded the RS Components Prize for Engineering Excellence for having the best performance in the final year of the Mechatronics program. “An as engineer working in industry for more than 10 years, I developed a creative aptitude for innovation, solving real-world problems in a variety of industries,” Cardamis explains. “Having built a mini greenhouse prototype, I was looking to further develop a cutting-edge IoT system that could be used in smart farming applications.” As part of the project team, Cardamis is exploring new ways to measure crop attributes remotely, investigating scaleable, efficient algorithms that can be deployed in large-scale networked embedded devices on future farms. “My current focus is on exploring mobile sensing solutions, such as radar…to derive the condition of the crop,” he explains. A key reason Cardamis applied for the PhD position on the ‘IoT for indoor cropping’ project was the opportunity it offered for industry collaboration. “Working with an industry partner has added another dimension to the research project,” he says. “There are discussions about commercial opportunities and how to implement your research in the field. With a focus on farmers and what they want, your research feels meaningful.” Dr Wen Hu, an Associate Professor in UNSW’s School of Computer Science and Engineering, an expert in embedded sensor and IoT networks, and ‘IoT for indoor cropping’ project leader, was Cardamis’ supervisor.

• More details about Prof. Cordelia Selomulya | Head of School at UNSW School of Chemical Engineering & FFS Research & Commercialisation Director

  Prof. Cordelia Selomulya | Head of School at UNSW School of Chemical Engineering & FFS Research & Commercialisation Director

  Dr Cordelia Selomulya joined University of New South Wales Sydney (UNSW) in late 2019 as a Professor – Food & Health within the School of Chemical Engineering and as Research & Commercialisation Director for the Future Food Systems CRC. In 2022, she was appointed the Head of Research for UNSW’s Faculty of Engineering.

• More details about Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Plett | Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University

  Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Plett | Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University

  Associate Professor Jonathan Plett works at the Western Sydney University flagship Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment. Jonathan did his PhD at Queen’s University in Canada followed by a post doctoral research position at L’Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), France. One of the main aims of his research is to functionally characterizing the protein- and metabolite-based language that coordinate symbiosis (both pathogenic and mutualistic) between fungi and plants – interactions that impact the continued health and productivity of agriculture. Jonathan specializes in combining a range of different techniques from molecular biology and biochemistry to achieve his research goals. The outcome of this research will be a better understanding of the biological mechanisms used by fungi to colonise plant tissues that can be leveraged in future to mitigate the negative effects associated with biotic and abiotic stressors.

• More details about Craig Shephard | Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC), University of New England

  Craig Shephard | Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC), University of New England

  Craig Shephard has over 20 years professional experience in the mapping of landscape attributes – particularly land cover and land use. Craig previously led the Queensland Land Use Mapping Program, within the Department of Environment and Science. Using remote sensing in combination with field survey techniques, Craig was responsible for the management and administration of the mapping program, managing a team of scientists in the compilation of land use and land use change mapping products. A highlight for the team was winning ‘Best Thematic Map’ at the 2019 Esri International User Conference. Craig holds a Bachelor of Science majoring in Environmental Science and Geography from Macquarie University, and is particularly focused on the application of web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Location is the common framework for integrating data to inform decision-making, at multiple scales. Delivering spatial information via web-GIS has opened up the power of spatial data to anyone, on any device. Specialising in the Esri platform, Craig applies a range of location-based tools (Survey123 and Collector for ArcGIS) to capture spatial data, analyse and compile mapping products in ArcGIS Pro, and using ArcGIS Online and Web App Builder for ArcGIS—deliver spatial information via an ever growing range of web apps. A selection of these can be launched from the AARSC Industry Applications and Maps page www.une.edu.au/webapps.

• More details about Maddison McCoy | UNSW Founders

  Maddison McCoy | UNSW Founders

  Maddison McCoy is the Community Manager for Entrepreneurship in Engineering and is a part of the UNSW Founders team. It is her role to help Engineers at UNSW turn their research into companies. Previous to this role, she ran the Bio 10x Accelerator Program, supporting biotech companies accelerate their business. Prior to her work at UNSW she worked at the food Biotech company, Nourish Ingredients where she worked as a synthetic biologist and moved over into project management. She’s most passionate about solving what she believes is our most pressing challenge; feeding our global population sustainably.

• More details about Aastha Ranjan | Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University

  Aastha Ranjan | Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University

  Aastha Ranjan is a PhD student based out of Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury campus. Prior to joining Western Sydney University, Aastha completed her Bachelor’s in Biotechnology (Honours) at Sharda University and her Master’s in Biotechnology at Central University of Rajasthan, India. Aastha is currently working on the ‘Gummy stem blight disease in cucurbits’ PhD project, supervised by Dr Jonathan Plett and co-supervised by Dist. Prof. David Tissue.