Meet the fellows

Brenda Mossel

Brenda has a passion for vulnerable consumer groups having worked for over two decades in developing and commercialising special purpose foods. She is committed to using her science to make people’s lives better by making special nutrition products as accessible to as many people around the globe as possible.  Brenda has a passion for identifying good early-stage substantive science with innovative commercial potential which lead her in to undertake a Master of Technology and Innovative Management.  She uses this knowledge providing strategic advice on advanced manufacturing to Government through her appointment on the Ministerial Manufacturing Council.

Brenda has been a contributing author to 10 peer reviewed publications and is cited as inventor on 7 PCT and innovation patents. She was National Council of Women Centenary Award winner, won the 1998 Australian Institute of Food Science Malcolm Bird Commemorative Award for young Scientists and a Deans Commendation for Outstanding Higher Degree Research Thesis 2002. The ultimate food nerd Brenda’s family has banned her from the weekly supermarket shop as she spends too much time obsessing over all the new food product launches.

Ian Brown

Dr Ian Brown has been involved in the food industry around the world for 40 years. Ian joined Fielder Gillespie Limited in Tamworth as a Research Chemist in 1981 after completing a BSc majoring in biochemistry.  His career has involved senior roles in R&D, Applications, Sales & Marketing and general management in multinational food companies based in Australia and the USA.  This included companies providing starches, proteins and microencapsulated long chain omega-3 lipid ingredients. 

Research undertaken during his MSc (UNE) and PhD (Hokkaido University, Japan) identified and developed the world’s first natural resistant starch ingredient, Hi-maize™, which won the AIFST Food Innovation Award in 1995 after its commercial success in Wonder White bread™.  Ian led the global introduction and use of the Hi-maize family of ingredients in a broad range of foods, specialty animal feeds and medical and pharma formulations. 

Ian has undertaken a parallel academic research career exploring the preparation, utilization and physiological effects of many nutrients including resistant starches with the results included in numerous publications and patents.  This research involved professorial level appointments at Wollongong University, Flinders University and the University of Colorado and included involvement in many grants, including a major project with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop improved formulations to treat acute diarrhoea.  After successful trials on the sub-continent and Africa these formulations are now approved by the FDA.

Ian was recognized for his contribution to food technology in 2013 with the award of the AIFST Keith Farrer Award of Merit and he continues his involvement in the development and commercialization of innovative foods, medical research and philanthropy.

Kim Staples

Being ‘food-technology-minded’ from an early age, Kim's introduction to the profession was in high school, reading Food Technology in Australia and food australia in the school library. She looked forward to meeting the criteria to be a member of the Institute.

Kim first joined AIFST in 2000 as a graduate of B App Science (Food Technology), completing her qualification at University of Western Sydney.

Joining AIFST opened opportunities to participate in the Institute’s meetings, in particular Young Member's Night, John Christian Award, and the Malcolm Bird Award. Kim encouraged others to do so also. It resulted in many professional friendships that continue to this day.

Throughout the last 20 years of active membership, Kim has demonstrated herself as a resolute food science professional.

After completing a research Honours in waste remediation of olive oil pressing wastes, she commenced a complex multidisciplinary PhD utilising culture of human cell line Caco-2 studying metabolism of divalent cations. A strong scientific approach was subsequently established.

Kim has continued her professional development gaining formal qualifications in quality, training and auditing. She has worked with small, medium, and large manufacturing and wholesale FMCG settings, including auditing, production, sales, as a food technologist, quality manager, domestic and global regulatory affairs, and as a consultant.

Her participation in the Institute, AFEA and as co-opted mentee for RACI mentoring of AIFST members has shown her to be an exemplary and worthy Fellow.

Roger Stanley

Roger Stanley is  the Professor of Food Science and Technology and Director of the Centre for Food Innovation (CFI) at the University of Tasmania, based at Launceston.  He has a Joint Academic Appointment between the  Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), Food and Nutrition, Scottsdale, Tasmania and the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA). In this role his research areas are on novel food processing fo sr adding value to agricultural and aquaculture produce and operating within the DSTG to provide science leadership on the development of food and nutrition technologies to improve the capabilities of Defence.

His research career began in New Zealand with a B.Sc.(Hons) Biochemistry, from the University of Canterbury, in 1977 and a Ph.D.inBiochemistry, from the University of Auckland, in 1982 with a research topic on the health implications of bacteria in the colon.  He then took up a career as a research scientist on biotechnology processing with the Industrial Processing Division of the DSIR in New Zealand which transitioned into the Crown Research Institutes (CRI’s). From 1986-87 he did a postdoctoral appointment with Merch Sharpe and Dohme Research in the USA on vaccine manufacture and returned to NZ to lead industrial biochemical processing research programs in the Industrial Processing CRI.  From 1997-2006  he had roles as Group Manager, Food Science and as a Program Manager in Post-Harvest & Food, in the HortResearch CRI. This was followed by a move to Australia in 2006 to become the Science Leader for Innovative Food Technologies in the  Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland.  He transitioned in 2011 to Principal Research Scientist in the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences (CNAFS) at the University of Queensland, Australia also teaching a course in Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods before taking up his current role in Tasmania in 2013.

Stuart Johnson

Stuart Johnson commenced his  acquaintance with food technology with his first role as a laboratory technician performing microbiological and chemical analysis of foods, at the WA based Peters Ice Cream. After several promotions, Stuart decided to finalise studies in Food Technology in a new course at Curtin University – a course he helped create.

Stuart soon re-joined the R&D team at the fast-growing Peters Ice Cream. He joined the newly created AIFST Branch in its first year. Stuart was a Branch Councillor several times and was involved on the AIFST conference organising committee when the National Conference was held in Perth. Stuart served on the food australiaBoard in the year when the Council of Food Technology Associations donated its share of the journal to AIFST.

Several decades of Committee service in the food industry saw Stuart serve AIFST, Dairy Industry Association of Australia, FTA (WA) and the Chamber of Commerce Food Committee. On multiple occasions Stuart took a leading role in these organisations as Branch Chair or President, and Technical Secretary level.

During this time his working responsibilities saw him build multiple research collaborations with State and Federal research partners, resulting in the commercialisation of what are now familiar food technologies available on your supermarket shelves.

In the last ten years Stuart served AIFST by working on projects to extend its membership, broadening the ability of the wider food industry to join the organisation. Stuart continues in the food Industry, now at Vesco - Australia’s leading meals manufacturer.