Meet our Brunel University doctoral researchers (archive)

We currently have 4 PhD students at Brunel University. They work on food processing and technology with a focus on sustainability .  Find out more about what they do here:

Alex Moores 2021-25 cohort Project title: Society’s sustainable sandwich – increasing circularity and sustainability with robust metrics Academic partner: University of Reading My project is a CASE studentship and is supported by a food company. What is your project about? My project aims to explore how we can guide progress towards a circular economy for food.  A circular economy reduces resource use and environmental impacts, and promotes social well-being. My research will help to put life-cycle thinking into practice and move towards a just and sustainable food system. Why attracted you to doing a PhD with the FoodBioSystems DTP? What drew me most to my PhD project was the opportunity to work on one of the world’s most important challenges. Alongside, I get to build my research skills, develop expertise in my field, and learn lots along the way. Being part of a cohort of DTP students is a fantastic opportunity to network, share ideas, and learn from each other. Plus, working with an industrial partner allows me to test my research in a commercial setting – a great way to gain experience and increase impact.

Leyli Vahid Dastjerdi 2021-25 cohort Project title: Low-carbon Food Processing with Solid State Microwave Technologies Academic partner: University of Reading What is your project about? My project looks at assessment of energy consumption and efficiency, GHG emission and physicochemical properties of bread (texture, crust formation, toasty aroma ) and some vegetable snacks made by different microwave generators: Solid-state oven and conventional magnetron technology. Why attracted you to doing a PhD with the FoodBioSystems DTP? I believe that the knowledge I have gained is little and there is much more to learn and relearn. I am sure that PhD in food science will widen the horizons of my knowledge and help me attain a milestone toward food technology. FoodBioSytems offers the opportunity to work in state-of-the-art laboratories and receive world-leading training through integrated research across food production as well as build connections with other students with different backgrounds.