Sustainability in the Food Chain * Sustainability in the Food Chain * Institute of Food Research: Exploitation Platform

Photo: Staff, visiting scientists and students in the Sustainability of the Food Chain Exploitation Platform (as at 30 September 2011)

Current Personnel

Visiting Scientists & Students

  • Mark Coleman - University of East Anglia
  • Rishikesh Ghogare - University of East Anglia
  • Ian Wood - IFR / JIC / UEA
  • Xin Zhao - Ph.D Student
  • Anis Shobirin Meor Hussin - University Putra Malaysia
  • David Millan Sango - University of Zaragoza
  • Isabel Martinez - Visiting Worker
  • Cristina Palmero Molina - Visiting Worker
  • Gonzalo Navarro Garcia - Visiting Student
  • Alessia Tropea - Visiting Student

Keith Waldron, Head of Sustainability in the Food Chain Exploitation Platform 

Dr Keith WaldronKeith is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh (Biochemistry, 1981) and University of Glasgow (PhD, 1984). After a research fellowship at the University of Glasgow, he was appointed to the IFR in 1986. He is currently a Band 4 Senior Scientist, a Fellow of the Institute of Biology, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 1999 he was a Royal Institution Scientist for the New Century. He has published widely on the topic of plant cell walls (research papers and university texts) and his research interests have focused on interpolymeric cross-links and texture of plant-based foods. Since graduating with an MBA in 2001 for which he received the Open University Ray Nelson Prize, he has devoted time and effort to understanding the potential for innovation in relation to environmental and economic sustainability. This has involved close links with the IFR Food & Health Network, particularly the Food Chain Sustainability Cluster which he leads. He has coordinated a number of national and international (EC) projects and PhD studentships, and lectures widely. He recently coordinated the EC STREP “REPRO” and leads several projects funded by the UK DTI and Defra. Keith has also been awarded an Honorary Professorship from the University of East Anglia.
Email: keith.waldron@ifr.ac.uk

Graham Moates, Deputy Head of Sustainability of the Food Chain Exploitation Platform

Graham is a research scientist in the exploitation platform.  He joined IFR in 1985 and has worked on a wide variety of projects to help improve our understanding of food ingredients.  His research has involved studies into the use of supercritical fluids, plant cell walls, the use of thermoplastic starch as biodegradable packaging, colloids, and ultrasonic characterisation.  He is currently involved in projects studying life cycle assessment of food production systems and the utilisation of food wastes.
E-mail: graham.moates@ifr.ac.uk

Peter Ryden

Peter Ryden has degrees from Cambridge and the University of East Anglia in biochemistry and bioinformatics. He has extensive experience of plant cell wall fractionation, polysaccharide chemistry, and mechanical phenotyping of cell wall mutants of Arabidopsis (publication list: http://pryden.pbworks.com/).

He works on a Defra-funded project to convert lignocellulosic waste to bioalcohols in a consortium involving the British Bioalcohols Group and several industrial collaborators from throughout the supply chain.

Sam Collins

Sam is a project scientist in the IBTI project. His responsibilities also include general laboratory ‘house-keeping’, ordering of consumables and supplies for the efficient performance of the laboratory and curator responsibilities for most of the analytical equipment, particularly the chromatographic instruments.  He is responsible for analytical method development and quality assurance issues.  Sam’s academic background includes a B.Sc.(Hons.) in Chemical Physics and a MSc(taught) in Physical and Spectroscopic Methods of Chemical Analysis.  Previously, he worked for three years at the public analyst laboratory in Norwich (Lincolne, Sutton and Wood).  This was an ISO:9001, UKAS accredited laboratory with a number of private clients in addition to local authority trading standards work.
E-mail: samuel.collins@ifr.ac.uk

Adam Elliston

Adam is a graduate of the University of Reading (Cybernetics and Control Engineering) and is about to begin his third year of a CASE Studentship Ph.D at the IFR. He is under the supervision of Keith Waldron, and also Chris Barry from his industrial sponsor Achor International Limited. Adam’s PhD is entitled “Bio-ethanol production from municipal waste”, looking at the production of bio-ethanol from the novel substrate of municipal waste. Adam is currently quantifying levels of cellulosic material available in municipal waste and also the purer substrate of waste paper and card products. As well as this, Adam has been exploring the inhibitory and dis-inhibitory effects of alcohols on the saccharification of cellulosic materials, particularly with the Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) process in mind.
E-mail: adam.elliston@achor.co.uk.

Sustainability in the Food Chain Exploitation Platform Copyright Institute of Food Research Institute of Food Research