Asgar Farahnaky, Professor of Food Technology and Innovation, is Program Manager and Course Coordinator of Food Innovation and Advanced Processing Technologies courses and Project Leader of a number of industrial research projects funded by national food companies. Asgar is a passionate food industry researcher and has extensive industry experience with a successful track record of creating market-oriented foods and food ingredients.
He received his PhD in 2002 on a project sponsored by a consortium of British food industries in Food Physics at The University of Nottingham (UK). 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 then joined Shiraz University and led the Department of Food Science and Technology for 5 years, taught into BSc, MSc and PhD programs, carried out fundamental and industrial research and received a number of research productivity awards. In 2014, he 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 several external research grants as 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 food innovation and health-promoting foods/food systems.
External Grants:
• Expanding Options for Sorghum – Food and Distilling, Funded by Grain Research & Development Corporation (GRDC), 2016–2022, Blanchard, C., Farahnaky, A., Mawson, J., Saliba, A. Managed by other universities, Au$1,847,000
• Increasing Productivity and Profitability of Pulse Production in Cereal Based Systems, Funded by ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research), 2016–2022, Rehman, A., Farahnaky, A., Blanchard, C., Ramsey, G. Managed by other universities. Au$2,312,963
• Next Generation Healthy Rice – GI Rice. Funded by AgriFuture, 2015–2019, Blanchard, C, Farahnaky, A., Pallas, L. Managed by other universities. Au$370,000.
Academic positions
Program Manager, Master of Food Science and Technology
RMIT University
STEM|School of Science
Melbourne, Australia
1 Jan 2020 – Present
Discipline Leader, Food Science and Nutrition
Charles Sturt University
Faculty of Science
Wagga, Australia
1 Jan 2017 – 31 Dec 2019
Discipline Leader of Food Processing
Charles Sturt University
ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Functional Grains
Wagga, Australia
1 Jan 2015 – 31 Dec 2018
Senior Researcher, Pathway: Grain & Meat Quality
Charles Sturt University
Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation
Wagga, Australia
1 Jan 2014 – 31 Dec 2018
Head of Department
Shiraz University
Food Science and Technology
Shiraz, Iran
1 Jan 2006 – 31 Dec 2011
Associate Professor
Shiraz University
Department of Food Science and Technology
Shiraz, Iran
1 Jan 2005 – 31 Dec 2013
Postdoctoral Research Associate and Part-time Lecturer
University of Nottingham
Nottingham, United Kingdom
1 Jan 2002 – 31 Dec 2005
Supervisor projects
Innovative functional/health promoting food ingredients from plant protein manufacturing and food processing by-products
18 Oct 2023
Investigating food ingredient-drug interactions in model food systems
9 Dec 2022
High CO2 based active packaging
30 Aug 2022
Transforming food waste by valorization of green biomasses into functional ingredients (proteins) using different approaches and study their functionality
25 Mar 2022
Developing multicomponent oleogels as functional food ingredients
10 Mar 2021
Impact of Ultrasound Pretreatment on Biological Activity of Peptides Derived from Lupin Protein
28 Jul 2020
Development of Soy Protein Meat Analogues Using High Moisture Extrusion Cooking
25 Feb 2020
Plant based food valorisation through producing functional food ingredients
13 Dec 2019
Use of Z-stack imaging to quantify the phase behaviour of biomaterial composites in relation to theoretical predictions of blending laws from rheological measurements
20 May 2019
Improving The Functional Properties of Lupin Protein for Food Applications
27 Mar 2019
Teaching interests
Teaching Food Innovation and Advanced Processing Technologies courses into undergraduate and postgraduate programs
Research supervision and leadership
Industry collaborations
Please contact me to discuss PhD study opportunities and collaboration on industrial research and innovation projects, nationally and internationally.
Supervisor interests
Smart Food Design and Innovation, Emerging Food-Processing Technologies: Ultrasound, Ohmic, PEFs, Value Addition to Foods, Functional Foods, Food Physics, Rheology and Structure, Hydrocolloids, Food Processing
Research interests
Food Innovation and Novel Foods
Creating Health-Promoting Foods and Food Ingredients
Smart Food Design and Innovation
Emerging Food Processing Technologies
Value Addition to Foods
Functional Foods
Food Physics, Rheology and Structure
Hydrocolloids
Food Processing
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.