Congratulations to Dr. Biniam Kebede (Department of Food Science) on receiving the 2026 University Research Excellence Award.
The award recognizes faculty members whose research has made a significant impact within their disciplines and beyond, celebrating outstanding scholarship, innovation, and research leadership.
Dr. Kebede and his team conducts interdisciplinary research at the interface of food structure engineering, sustainable food processing, and advanced analytical and data science. The lab's vision is to understand and quantify the relationships between food processing, structure, and quality as the foundation for reverse engineering safer, healthier, and more sustainable foods with exceptional flavour quality. Current research focuses on: (i) engineering food structure through solid-state fermentation to tailor techno-functional properties and digestion; (ii) understanding and designing flavour formation; (iii) developing predictive models that link food processing, multi-scale structural changes, and quality attributes; and (iv) upcycling agri-food by-products into high-value food ingredients.