Associate Professor Asgar Farahnaky

Asgar Farahnaky received his PhD in 2002 on a project sponsored by a consortium of British food industries in the area of Food Physics at The University of Nottingham (UK) after completing his BSc and MSc in Shiraz and TMU Universities. He was employed by the University of Nottingham (UK) as a Research Fellow (2002-2005) working on industrial research projects and part-time lecturing. Asgar was then employed by Shiraz University from 2006 to 2014 as an academic member teaching into BSc, MSc and PhD courses and performing fundamental and industrial research where he led the Department of Food Science and Technology for 5 years and received a number of research productivity awards. In 2014 Asgar moved to Charles Sturt University (NSW) and led the Food Science and Nutrition Discipline Group with his major contributions to teaching, research and leadership. From 2014 to 2018 he secured a number of external research grants with other colleagues and was the Discipline Leader for Food Processing in the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Functional Grains supervising researchers and leading a number of industrial projects on value addition to food. Upon accepting a new position, he moved to RMIT University in Jan 2019 and is teaching into Food Science and Technology programs and leading research projects. Please send enquiries on PhD supervision and for research collaboration.

1. Teaching into undergraduate and postgraduate programs

2. Research supervision and leadership

3. Industry collaborations

Research Interests: 

• Smart Food Design and Innovation
• Emerging Food Processing Technologies: Ultrasound, Ohmic, PEF…
• Value Addition to Foods
• Functional Foods
• Food Physics, Rheology and Structure
• Hydrocolloids
• Food Processing

External Grants:

1. Expanding Options for Sorghum - Food and Distilling, Funded by Grain Research & Development Corporation (GRDC)- 2016-2021.  Blanchard, C., Farahnaky, A., Mawson, J., Saliba, A. Managed by other universities. Au$1,847,000.

2. Increasing Productivity and Profitability of Pulse Production in Cereal Based Systems. Funded by ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research) 2016-2021. Rehman, A., Farahnaky, A., Blanchard, C., Ramsey, G. Managed by other universities. Au$2,312,963.

3. Next Generation Healthy Rice- GI Rice. Funded by AgriFuture-2015-2019. Blanchard, C, Farahnaky, A., Pallas, L. Managed by other universities. Au$370,000.

Please contact me to discuss PhD study opportunities and collaboration on industrial research and innovation projects, nationally and internationally.

1. Graduate Certificate in University Leadership and Management (GCULM), Charles Sturt University, NSW, Australia, 2018.

2. Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (GCLTHE), Charles Sturt University, NSW, Australia, 2016.

3. PhD in Food Science & Technology, Food Structure Group, Division of Food Sciences, University of Nottingham, England. Funded by British food industries. 2000-2003.

4. MSc in Food Science & Technology, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran. 1995-1997. 

5. BSc in Food Science & Technology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. 1991-1995.

• Discipline Leader, "Food Science and Nutrition" Discipline Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Charles Sturt University, Wagga, NSW, Australia. 2017-2019.

• Discipline Leader of Food Processing, ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Functional Grains. Charles Sturt University, Wagga, NSW, Australia. 2015-2018. 

• Senior Researcher, Pathway: Grain & Meat Quality, Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Wagga, NSW, 2014-2018.

• Co-Chair of 68th Australian Grain Science Conference (AGSA) and Chair of the Scientific Committee, held in Sep. 2018, Wagga, NSW.

• Member of Organizing Technical Committee, 2016 AIFST (Australian Food Science and Technology) Conference, Brisbane, June 2016.

• Co-Chair, 2016 AIFST (Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology) Summer School, Wagga, NSW, Jan. 2016.

• Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, 2005- 2013.

• Member of the Scientific Committee of The First International Conference on Natural Food Hydrocolloids, www.naturalhydrocolloids.ir/ 2014.

• Scientific Secretary of 21st IFSTC, Iran Food Science and Technology Conference, Shiraz University, Iran. Oct. 2013.

• Academic member of Centre of Excellence for Fig Research, Shiraz University, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Iran, 2012-2016.

• Technical Consultant to food processing factories for new functional products and process design, dairy and cereal producing factories, Shiraz, Iran, 2005- 2013.

• Head of Department of Food Science and Technology, Shiraz University, Iran. 2006-2011.

• Technical Member of Food Industry Committee of Fars province for issuing production licenses for food factories, 2005-2012. 

• Postdoctoral Research Associate and Part-time Lecturer, University of Nottingham. 2002-2005.