Associate Professor (Food, Chemical and Biotechnology)

SIT's food research focuses on developing capabilities to bolster Singapore's capacity to achieve a food-secure and resilient future. We align our food research strategy with national priorities that include sustainability, food security, and healthy aging, all of which are key areas for substantial competitive research funding with industry

support/participation.

SIT is well-positioned to train talent who are equipped with industry-relevant skillsets and are innovative contributors to the development of interdisciplinary research solutions for food innovation. We offer three complementary undergraduate programmes in Food Technology, Dietetics and Nutrition, and Food Business Management (Culinary Arts), which are geared towards catering to the practical demands of the industry.

At present, SIT is leading several multi-million-dollar research programmes in future foods in support of Singapore's goal to attain 30% local and sustainable production of its nutritional requirements by 2030. Our large-scale research programmes aim to enhance plant-based protein extraction processes and create high-throughput

platforms for protein profiling to expedite the sustainable development of plant protein-based products. These programmes have attracted funding from companies looking to differentiate their products through a sustainability value proposition.

Beyond product and process-focused research, SIT is committed to promoting circularity in food production by actively developing research capabilities in waste valorisation. This is an area that presents opportunities for collaborating with many industry partners who seek to leverage technology to upcycle waste streams and

generate multiple high value-added product streams to their portfolio.

SIT also places a strong emphasis on the close integration of nutrition and food technology in its research endeavours to drive a holistic approach to the food solutions developed. In response to increasing interest from food companies to develop a product pipeline tailored for the aging population, SIT employs food structure

engineering to establish correlations between rheological properties and performance to produce texturally optimised food. These products are specifically tailored to meet the preferences of the elderly, aligning seamlessly with the national Healthier SG initiative that prioritises preventive care to enhance overall population health.

To enhance our capabilities in progressing the production of sustainable and nutritious food innovations toward commercialisation, SIT operates the F o o d P l a n t , Singapore's first shared facility for small-batch food production. SIT's food manufacturing industry partners will have access to affordable industrial food processing and manufacturing equipment to pilot food products for market testing and commercialisation. Our team

of food technology specialists provides comprehensive consultation services on food innovation, utilising both traditional and state-of-the-art food processing technologies. Furthermore, industry practitioners can take advantage of interactive training courses that keep them abreast of the latest emerging technologies in the

field.

SIT aims to broaden our food research initiatives across various key areas, namely:

• Alternative protein innovation,
• Fermentation & downstream bioprocessing,
• Rheology / structure engineering,
• Waste valorisation, and
• Nutrition.

SIT is seeking skilled research leaders who are enthusiastic about fostering value through collaborative industry partnerships. Prospective candidates can tap on SIT's Industrial Doctorate and Master's programmes to cultivate research talent geared towards meeting industry demands and will have the opportunity to utilise SIT's cutting-edge open innovation laboratories and advanced food technology infrastructure to contribute to impactful translational research and innovation.