Dr Akshay Bisht, Dr Ji Uk Kim, Associate Professor Lara Matia-Merino, Dr Nurhazwani Salleh, and Dr Cai Ling Ang.
Dr Akshay Bisht- The tale of the shear-thickening mamaku polysaccharide, from forest to gut- Dr Bisht made it to the Dean’s list, which is a great achievement. He explored the properties of an extract from the native black tree fern - mamaku.
Dr Ji Uk Kim- Assessment of process variables on structural material and physical properties of acid milk gels- Dr Kim has since gone on to work at Fonterra. He always knew what he wanted.
The Singapore collaboration (Massey co-delivering the Food Technology programme with local institutions) has seen a wealth of fantastic postgraduate students, such as the ones below:
Dr Nurhazwani Salleh- Characterisation and protein complexation of an anthocyanin-bound pectin extracted from New Zealand blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum)- a great example of collaboration with AgResearch and Plant and Food Research. Dr Sallah is one of our Singapore graduates.
Dr Cai Ling Ang - Characterisation of de-structured starch and its interactions in whey protein isolate gels – Dr Ang is currently working at the School of Food and Advanced Technology in the Food Innovation team. She is another Singapore graduate.
Dr Matia-Merino says this is probably the peak of her career, as she is unsure if she will be supervising as many PhD students in the future.
“I am extremely proud of this group of students. They have become my friends. They have been such a diligent bunch, respectful, always willing to learn, with great initiative, efficient and extremely lively to be around. My respect for them has grown over time. I have had so many very enlightening conversations with them. I will greatly miss them.
“Quality postgrads are the greatest contribution to an enriched research environment. Taking care of our postgraduates ensures we can continue to be at the top of the game nationally and internationally; our reputation and the university rankings are very much dependent on our postgraduate selection and how we nurture them through their journey. I am privileged to have had such high-quality research students. They are certainly leaving a mark in my heart.”