Keynote speakers
Cordelia Selomulya
Prof. Cordelia Selomulya is the Head of School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, and the Research and Commercialisation Director of the Future Food Systems CRC. At UNSW, Cordelia has continued to lead a research team focusing on solving the grand challenges at the interface of food engineering and science, on topics including smart drying, protein functionality, encapsulation, and food structure research.
Professor, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
A/ Prof Sara Grafenauer
A/ Prof Sara Grafenauer is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and Fellow of Dietitians Australia. She is the Academic Program Lead for the Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Innovation Program at UNSW and was instrumental in the design of the program. Sara’s research spans dietary patterns, nutrition economics, consumer and food system research with a particular focus on whole grain and legume foods, driven by her commitment to sustainability. Sara serves on the Governing Board, for the Global Whole Grain Initiative and is a Member of the Oat Council of Australia, contributing her expertise to national and international efforts to improve public health through better nutrition.
Associate Professor Sara Grafenauer
Program Lead, Nutrition & Dietetics, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
Joel Andrade
Joel is a seasoned Commercialisation and New Product Development Manager with a strong track record of bringing innovative food products to market. His expertise lies in navigating the complexities of product development life cycles, from concept to commercialisation.
He has worked across a broad spectrum of businesses—from agile small and medium enterprises to major industry players such as Teys Australia, Nutritious Cuisine, and Mighty Good Food Group. Driven by a passion for elevating food quality and business outcomes, Joel brings deep experience across a diverse range of categories. These include high-risk ready-to-eat meals, desserts as well as thickened foods.
He is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Queensland as part of FaBA Australia’s Innovation Pathways team, where he is researching the role of artificial intelligence in personalising customer experience—particularly within the food and beverage sector. His research explores how AI can enhance consumer experiences through personalised decision support, cognitive burden reduction, emotional connection, and transparent human-AI collaboration. Joel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Biotechnology and a Master’s degree in Food Science and Technology from UQ.”
Commercialisation and New Product Development Manager, FABA, Brisbane, Australia
Prof Leonidas G Karagounis
Professor Leonidas Karagounis is a leading nutrition innovation researcher at ACU’s Mary MacKillop Institute. With over 20 years’ experience across academia and industry, his work investigates the role of nutrition on health across the lifespan with emphasis on dietary protein and nutraceuticals leading to innovative commercial product development.
Professor Research Translation and Enterprise
Faculty of Health Science – ACU
Dr Andrew Clulow
Andrew Clulow is the senior beamline scientist on the BioSAXS beamline at the Australian Synchrotron. His research utilises a variety of neutron and X-ray scattering techniques to probe nanoscale material structures. Recently, Andrew’s research has focused on lipid structuring in food colloids, particularly in milk and dairy systems.
Senior scientist, ANSTO Synchrotron, Melbourne, Australia
Nornie Bero
Nornie Bero is on a mission to change the way Australia thinks about food. A proud Island woman from the Komet Tribe of the Meriam people in the Torres Strait, she has spent over 25 years as a chef celebrating and championing Indigenous ingredients. A passionate advocate for sustainability and cultural inclusivity, Nornie shares her knowledge through food demonstrations, television, and her cookbook. She’s also an ambassador for COLES and a ‘Friend of Australia’ with Tourism Australia, bringing Indigenous Australian food to the forefront, one dish at a time.
Founder & CEO, Mabu Mabu, Australia
Prof Markus Stieger
Professor Markus Stieger holds a personal chair at the Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour and the Food Quality and Design group at Wageningen University (The Netherlands). Markus’s research focuses on the impact of food oral processing behaviour on sensory perception, food intake and food digestion. He is Associate Editor of Food Hydrocolloids and the Journal of Texture Studies.
Sensory Science &Eating Behaviour & Food Quality and Design Wageningen University & Research
Jemma O’Hanlon AdvAPD GAICD
Jemma O’Hanlon AdvAPD GAICD is a keynote speaker, consultant and one of Australia’s most prominent media dietitians. On a mission to make nutrition easy to digest, Jemma is a recognised expert across TV, radio, print and online and a regular on Channel 7’s The Morning Show. The CEO of Foodwatch and Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian with over 20 years of experience, Jemma works with a range of clients including her long-standing relationship with the Heart Foundation and is a former Vice President of Dietitians Australia. Jemma lives and breathes health and fitness and when she’s not in the kitchen she enjoys hiking out in nature and taking her energetic kelpie for a run.
Dietitian & Nutritionist AdvAPD GAICD Consultant and Speaker
Prof Jason Stokes
Professor Jason Stokes is internationally recognized for pioneering rheology and tribology approaches to develop structure–function–processing relationships in food systems. His research integrates saliva’s physicochemical effects and applies soft matter, colloid, and surface science principles to guide industry in designing next-generation products with optimized sensory performance, nutrition and sustainability.
Prof Gail Bornhorst
Dr. Gail M. Bornhorst is a Professor of Food Engineering in the Departments of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Food Science and Technology at the University of California Davis. She is also a Principal Investigator at the Riddet Institute. Her research involves developing a quantitative understanding of food structural breakdown during digestion and the impact on nutrient release and food functional properties. Her lab also works on development of dynamic in vitro model systems for studying digestion, and modelling of digestion processes.