Symposium Committees

Dr Danyang Ying

Principal Research Consultant,
CSIRO Food Program

Symposium Chair & lead of the Technical Committee. Principal Research Consultant at CSIRO, with expertise in food extrusion, microencapsulation, waste utilisation, and stabilisation of bioactives for functional foods.

Dr Jordan Pennells

Postdoctoral Researcher,
CSIRO Food Program

Jordan is a chemical engineer with a background in sustainable material engineering. He is now leading the development of CSIRO’s Intelligent Extrusion Platform, integrating digital modelling tools to support innovation in extrusion technology.

Mr Dennis Forte

Independent Consultant

Dennis is a chemical engineer with over 30 years’ experience in food processing, specialising in extrusion, drying, and process optimisation. He has held senior roles at MARS and Uncle Tobys, and now consults globally across the food industry.

Dr Jayantha Sellahewa

Adjunct Fellow,
UNSW

Jayantha is a researcher specialising in food engineering innovations across the food supply chain.

Dr Kai Knoerzer

Principal Research Scientist,
CSIRO Food Program

Over 20 years of international experience in research, effective creation, development and delivery of innovative projects, and service to the food industry. Kai has expertise in Innovative Food Processing Technologies for enhanced food safety, stability, quality and process sustainability.

Mr Andrew Lawrence

Processing Team Leader,
CSIRO Food Program

Qualified chemist and the manager of CSIRO Food Grade Pilot Plant at the CSIRO Food Innovation Centre. He has 30-years experience in optimising unit operations and process development across a wide range of food segments including extruded products, dairy products, protein-starch-fibre ingredients, heat and pressure stabilisation, deserts, gummies, and plant-based milks. 

Dr Cedric Simon

Group Leader,
CSIRO Aquaculture Program

Cedric is the Aquaculture Nutrition & Production Systems Group Leader for the Livestock & Aquaculture Program, with broad research interests including the digestive physiology, aquaculture nutritional requirements; functional feed additives; and sustainable aquafeed ingredients and formulation.

Dr Artur Rombenso

Team Leader,
CSIRO Aquaculture Program

Bachelor’s in Oceanography and Master’s in Aquaculture by Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), and a Ph.D. degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) working with aquaculture (finfish nutrition). Currently a Research Scientist with the Aquaculture Nutrition team at CSIRO, with broad experience in fish nutrition, mariculture, marine fish culture, cage culture and commercial species. 

Dr Michael Salini

Research Fellow,
Deakin University

Michael has executed and published aquaculture research across a variety of marine and freshwater species. He has in-depth commercial knowledge of the Australian aquaculture and commercial feed industry, including extrusion technology. He brings to the NuSea.Lab 6 years experience as a product development manager in a commercial R&D environment.

Dr Artur Rombenso

Deputy Head of Food Technology and Nutrition (Research and Innovation) & Professor of Food Technology and Innovation

RMIT University

Professor Asgar Farahnaky is an experienced academic and researcher in food technology and innovation. His research interests encompass food innovation, extrusion technology, food physics, rheology, advanced food processing technologies, and the development of functional and health-promoting food ingredients. He has led numerous industrial research projects funded by national food companies and has secured substantial external research grants, including projects on dietary fibre, sorghum, pulse processing, and novel food ingredients. Asgar has led several research projects on food extrusion including high-moisture extrusion cooking for producing plant-based meat analogues, cellulose green modification, breakfast cereals formulation, food waste transformation, starch and hydrocolloids modification.

Mrs Desley Pinsent

Administration Officer,
CSIRO Food Program

Lead of the Symposium Organising Committee and tireless Admin Officer for the CSIRO Food Program.

Dr Pablo Juliano

Group Leader,
CSIRO Food Program

Pablo is a supply chain transformation leader with strong background in innovation in food processing and food waste upcycling (International agrifood chain innovation strategist with over 20 years of service to the agrifood industry in 8 countries). He is the Group Leader of the Food Processing and Supply Chains.

Mrs Debbie Shearer

Events Manager,
CSIRO Agriculture & Food

With a dynamic tenure at CSIRO, Debbie’s focus on process innovation and strategic partnerships has been pivotal in elevating our events to new heights. At the core of her professional ethos is a commitment to customer-centric experiences and environmentally conscious practices, aligning seamlessly with CSIRO’s mission.

Dr Yakindra Timilsena

Research Fellow,
La Trobe University

Yakindra is a mid-career food science researcher with more than 20 years of experience in food safety, product innovation, and food materials engineering. He is currently a Research Fellow at La Trobe University’s Institute of Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF), where he focuses on functional foods, lipid chemistry, microencapsulation, and sustainable food systems. His research interests include plant-based nutrition, oleosome and lipid structure, protein-lipid interactions, and the development of novel food ingredients for health and wellness.

Dr Bo Wang

Senior Lecturer,
University of Adelaide

Bo is a food science academic with extensive experience in food chemistry, food processing, and the development of nutrition-focused products. Based at the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at the University of Adelaide, his research focuses on isolating and characterising functional food compounds, exploring macromolecular interactions and reactions, and transforming agricultural and food by-products into high-value food ingredients. Bo is dedicated to translating scientific research into practical solutions that foster healthier and more sustainable food systems.