ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
B.Sc. (Hons, Biochemistry) Punjab Agricultural University. June 1979 Ludhiana, India.
M.Sc. (Hons, Biochemistry) Punjab Agricultural University June 1981 Ludhiana, India
Ph.D. (Food Science and Technology) National University of Ireland. June 1986 University College Cork, Ireland.
POSITIONS HELD
Jan 2018 – present Director, Riddet Institute (Centre of Research Excellence)
Jan 2015 - Feb 2018 Head of School of Food and Nutrition, Massey Institute of Food Science and Technology.
2013 Distinguished Professor, Massey University.
Jan 2008 - Dec 2017 Co-Director, Riddet Institute (Centre of Research Excellence)
Jan 2003 - Dec 2007 Co-Director, Riddet Centre, Massey University.
Sep 1998 - present Professor and Chair in Dairy Science and Technology, Massey University, New Zealand.
Aug 1995 - Aug 1998 Associate Professor, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Sept 1993 - July 1995 Senior Lecturer, Department of Food Technology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Sept 1989 - Aug 1993 Lecturer, Department of Food Technology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Jan 1987 - Aug 1989 Research Officer, NZ Dairy Research Institute, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Oct 1985 - Dec 1986 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Departments of Food Chemistry and Nutrition, University College Cork, Ireland.
GUEST APPOINTMENTS
• Adjunct Professor, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India (2016).
• Distinguished Alumnus, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University, India (2016).
• Guest Professor, Zhejiang Gongshang University, China (2015).
• Adjunct Professor, Tongji University, China (2015)
• Guest Professor, University of Kumamoto, Japan (2009).
• Visiting Research Fellow, Dairy Ingredients Group of Australia, Australia (2005).
• Honorary Staff, Fonterra Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand (2004 – current).
• Visiting Professor: Dairy Product Technology Centre, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA (2002).
• Visiting Professor, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada (1995).
• Honorary Research Fellow, NZ Dairy Research Institute (1990-1998).
AWARDS AND HONOURS
(i) Awards
• American Dairy Science Association Distinguished Service Award. This award recognises “unusually outstanding and consistent contributions to the welfare of the dairy industry either directly or indirectly”. This is the first time this award has been given to a New Zealander.
• International Dairy Foods Association Research Award in Dairy Foods Processing (2015). This prestigious award is presented to leading researchers in the field of dairy science to recognise those whose findings have allowed processors to develop new products and to make significant improvements in the quality, safety or processing efficiency of dairy foods.
• Distinguished Professor award, Massey University (2013).
• Co-recipient of the Prime Minister’s Science Prize (2012), the most prestigious science honour in New Zealand.
• Shorland Medal (2011) by the New Zealand Association of Scientists. This medal is in recognition of major and continued contribution to basic or applied research that has added significantly to scientific understanding or resulted in significant benefits to society.
• JC Andrews Award (2011) by the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology (NZIFST). This is Institute's most prestigious award and recognises individuals who have made a substantial contribution to science and technology and leadership in the food industry.
• Part of a team that won NZIFST Food Industry Award for Excellence in Innovation (2011) for its ProBiolife™ technology. The award acknowledges significant new development in a process, product, ingredient, equipment or packaging.
• Finalist for the Bayer Innovator Awards (2010).
• Awarded William C. Haines Dairy Science Award (2008) by the California Dairy Research Foundation (USA) for making outstanding contributions to dairy science and dairy industry worldwide. First person from New Zealand to receive this honour.
• Awarded Massey University Research Medal (individual) (2008) for distinction in research.
• Awarded Marschall Rhodia International Dairy Science Award (2001). This highly prestigious award given by the American Dairy Science Association recognises outstanding accomplishments in research and development by a researcher outside the USA and Canada in chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, technology, and engineering pertaining to the dairy foods industries.
• Awarded Best Individual Researcher Award (2007) College of Science, Massey University, New Zealand.
• Awarded Massey University Research Medal (Team) (2005) for making outstanding research contributions and team leadership.
• Awarded PBRF A grade: individual quality score 700/700.
• Selected as ISI Highly Cited Researcher for exceptional citation count in the field of Agricultural Science (2006). Ranked top 15 in the world in the period 1996-2006 by Science Watch (Thompson Scientific, USA).
(ii) Fellowships
• Elected Fellow of the United States Institute of Food Technologists (2015) in recognition of outstanding contributions to the food science and technology field.
• Elected Fellow of Royal Society of New Zealand (2002) in recognition of distinction in research and the advancement of science.
• Elected Fellow of the International academy of Food Science and Technology, (2006). This fellowship recognises outstanding contributions to the field of food science and advancement of knowledge. Second person from New Zealand to be elected.
• Elected Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology, (2006). This fellowship recognises outstanding contributions to the field of food science and technology.
(iii) Major external appointments
• Invited to review an R&D project application for Callaghan Innovation (2019).
• Appointed as an external moderator in the Food Science and Technology Programme Area under the School of Applied Science and Mathematics, Universiti Teknologi Brunei (2019).
• Invited to join the Scientific Program Committee as a Theme Leader on behalf of the World Congress on Oils and Fats to be held in Sydney, Australia, 9-12 February 2020.
• Invited to review an application for the Swiss National Science Foundation (2018).
• Invited to participate in the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence assessment process (2018).
• Committee member in the 2018 American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) awards process.
• Appointed as an external moderator in the Food Science and Technology Programme Area under the School of Applied Science and Mathematics, Universiti Teknologi Brunei (2017).
• Invited to review a research proposal for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Canada (2017).
• Appointed to judge the 2017 applicants for the NZ Association of Scientists (NZAS) Shorland Medal.
• Invited to review a research proposal for the Swiss National Science Foundation (2017).
• Invited to evaluate research proposals for the Fund for Scientific Research-FNRS (F.R.S.-FNRS) and the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) in Belgium (2017).
• Invited to review a grant application for the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), UK (2017).
• Invited to serve on the 2017 IDFA Research Award Committee in Dairy Processing.
• Committee member in the 2017 American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) awards process.
• Invited by the Research Council of Norway to review grant proposals (2016).
• Invited to be an external examiner for a PhD thesis at University College Cork, Ireland (2016).
• Invited to be an external examiner for a MSc thesis at University College Dublin, Ireland (2016).
• Appointed to judge the 2016 applicants for the NZ Association of Scientists (NZAS) Shorland Medal.
• Appointed as a 2016 committee member judging the International Dairy Foods Association Research Award in Dairy Foods Processing on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association.
• Invited as an expert evaluation panel member to assess Food Research Proposal Evaluations for the Department of Agriculture, Dublin, Ireland (2016).
• Invited to be an External Assessor for the Postgraduate Certificate in Dairy Technology and Innovation for the University College Cork, Ireland (2016).
• Invited to be an External Evaluator of the COST Action FA1005: Improving health properties of food by sharing our knowledge on the digestive process (INFOGEST) – Europe (2016).
• Invited to evaluate the Joint Programme Initiative (JPI) “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life” (HDHL) Joint Action Food Processing for Health Call proposals (2015).
• Invited to become an established member of the New Zealand Asian Leaders group (2015).
• Invited to serve another term as a member of the Marcel Loncin Research Prize Jury (2015).
• Appointed to judge the 2015 applicants for the NZ Association of Scientists (NZAS) Shorland Medal.
• Invited to be a member of the AgResearch Food Science Roadmap Expert Panel to assess the quality and relevance of their scientific capability (April 2015).
• Invited to review a research proposal made to Dairy Farmers of Canada through their Dairy Research Cluster 2 initiative (2015).
• Member of Science Leadership Team, National Science Challenge – High Value Nutrition and Chair of the Science of Food platform (2014 ongoing).
• Invited by the Danish Council for Independent Research to assess an application for an advanced technology project that will be submitted to the Innovation Fund Denmark (2014).
• Invited by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) to evaluate a proposal – October 2014.
• Invited by the Research Council of Norway to assess an application for Centres for Research-based Innovation (SFI) – March and October 2014.
• Invited to be a member of the Expert Panel by Enterprise Ireland to assess Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC) proposals (2014).
• Invited to serve as a member of the Marcel Loncin Research Prize Jury (2014).
• Invited to be a member of the Peer Review Panel of the Danish Council for Strategic Research (2013).
• Invited to be a member of the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Research Program Industry Advisory Panel (2012).
• Invited to serve on the 2012 Fellowship Selection Panel of the Royal Society of New Zealand, representing the Biochemical and Molecular Biological Sciences.
• Invited by the President of Shanghai Jiao Ton University (SJTU) to conduct a formal assessment of the School of Agriculture and Biology (August 2012).
• Appointed on the NZIFST Programme Advisory Group for future conferences (2012).
• Appointed to the College of Reviewers for the Canada Research Chairs program (2011).
• Appointed member of International Dairy Federation Standing Committee on Dairy Science and Technology (2011-present).
• Appointed Director of Speirs Nutritionals Limited, New Zealand (2009-present).
• Appointed Focal Point Co-ordinator by the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology for Republic of Korea/New Zealand relationship in Innovative Foods (2008-2011).
• Appointment to the Fellows Selection Panel, Technology and Engineering panel (Royal Society of New Zealand) (2008-present).
• Appointment to the Fellows Selection Committee, International Academy of Food Science and Technology (2008).
• Appointed member of Selection Committee of the Danisco International Dairy Science Award, American Dairy Science Foundation, USA (2008).
• Appointed member of Selection Panel of the William Haines Dairy Science Award, California Dairy Research Foundation, USA (2008).
• Appointed member of the Assessment Panel for James Cook Research Fellowship, (Royal Society of New Zealand) (2008-present).
• Appointed member of the Food Innovation Scientific Advisory Group, PepsiCo Inc, USA (2007-present).
• Appointed member of the Strategic Advisory Group for Food, Foundation for Research Science and Technology (2007).
• Appointed Chair of the Fellows Selection Panel, Biochemical and Molecular Biological Sciences (Royal Society of New Zealand) (2007).
• Appointment to the Fellows Selection Panel, Biochemical and Molecular Biological Sciences (Royal Society of New Zealand) (2004-2007).
• Appointed Member of National Committee of International Dairy Federation (1998- 2004).
• Appointed Member of Standing Committee on Dairy Technology of International Dairy Federation (1999-2002)