Asgar Farahnaky

Professor Asgar Farahnaky

Professor

Details

Open to

  • Masters Research or PhD student supervision

About

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
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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.