Research in food sciences and nutrition
Our research in food and nutrition focuses on resolving the challenges of sustainability and healthy dietary practices of growing populations in industrialised and developing nations through scientific and technological advancements and close collaboration with industry.
Research programs
The food and nutrition program offers research specialisations in:
- food processing
- functional foods and nutraceuticals with emphasis on probiotics
- enhancement of shelf life of foods
- physical chemistry of foods
- dairy and cereal science and technology
- microbial and enzyme technology and engineering
- analytical systems
- food safety and risk management systems
- molecular and nutritional physiology
- disease prevention and dietary management of lifestyle diseases (particularly obesity and diabetes)
- sports nutrition
- food security
- clinical and public health nutrition and dietetics.
Our multidisciplinary approach incorporates expertise from the following colleges and institutes:
- College of Health & Biomedicine
- College of Engineering & Science
- Institute for Sustainability and Innovation (ISI)
- Institute for Supply Chain and Logistics (ISCL)
- Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL)
Research partnerships
Multidisciplinary research is undertaken in partnership with government, industry, not-for-profit organisations and other universities in Australia and overseas. Our research partnerships include (but are not limited to) collaborations with:
- Dairy Innovation Australia Ltd
- Regional Victoria Food Clusters
- Fonterra cooperative
- Department of Primary Industries
Graduate research opportunities
We welcome applications from prospective research students wanting to undertake a PhD or Masters by Research in the area of food and nutrition, including projects in the following areas:
- macromolecular interactions and their impact on physical and physiological functionalities
- functional foods, nutraceuticals and probiotics
- loss prevention, waste utilisation and shelf life extension
- microbial and enzyme governed bioconversions
- novel processing technologies and their impact
- holistic approach to risk management
- disease prevention and dietary management of lifestyle diseases (particularly obesity and diabetes)
- sports nutrition
- clinical and public health nutrition and dietetics.
For further information about becoming a graduate researcher or guidance about possible project areas and supervisors, please contact Professor Todor Vasiljevic.
Research Scholarships
Scholarships may be available for research in this area. For further information on current research scholarships for local and international students, visit scholarships for research students, or externally funded scholarships.
Contact us
Professor Todor Vasiljevic
College of Health & Biomedicine
Phone: +61 3 9919 8062
Email: todor.vasiljevic@vu.edu.au
