Who we are
The Institute of Food Science and Technology of Ireland (IFSTI) is a professional body representing the interests of Irish food scientists and food technologists. The Institute aims to act as the professional body of food scientists and technologists and to promote their professional standing and their continuing professional development through further education and training.
The IFSTI also aims to promote, advance and further the knowledge, development and application of science and technology to every aspect of food by all appropriate means. We aspire to provide our members with a range of services to meet their needs and a support network to help them excel in their work.
The institute is a focal point for the dissemination of information on scientific and technological developments affecting the world of food. We proactively seek connections with other similar institutions in other countries to broaden the professional network available for our members. In this respect the IFSTI is also an active member of The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) and the European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EEFoST).
What we do
• IFSTI is the professional body for food scientists in Ireland
• Makes submissions to the government on food related topics
• Provides the press with informed spokespersons from among its members on food
science as required
• Organizes meetings on topics of interest to food scientists
• Provides an informal forum for Irish food scientists to meet and discuss
mutual interests
• Acts as a network of contacts with extensive experience in the food industry
• Encourages education of food scientists
• Provides informal contacts between education and the food industry to provide
placements for students and facilitate liaison with the industry
• Operates the website to disseminate information and Irish food news
How we operate
The IFSTI is a registered company and is managed by the IFSTI council. The IFSTI Council consists of four officers, President, Vice President, Honourable Treasurer and Honourable Secretary plus six ordinary Council members {insert link to organogram}. The four Council officers are therefore directors of the IFSTI company.
In addition to the IFSTI is the Food Science and Technology Trust. The Trust is a separate company from the IFSTI but has similar aims and is a registered charity. The trust manages an investment fund and uses this money to promote its objectives {link to articles of association}. The four officers of the IFSTI are also Directors of the Trust. The Trust often donates money to the IFSTI for the purposes of achieving its objectives.
Therefore the principle sources of funding for the IFSTI are its membership, its activities and the donations from the Food Science and Technology Trust. These monies are utilised by the Council to enable the IFSTI to meet its objectives {link to who we are}
The IFSTI Council
President
Declan James Troy
Declan James Troy is Assistant Director of Research, Teagasc. He also is Director of Technology and Knowledge Transfer for the Teagasc Food Programme (Moorepark and Ashtown Food Research Centres) and is based in Dublin. He recently launched the Teagasc Technology and Knowledge Transfer Strategy aimed at increasing engagement with industry. Presently Declan is Managing Director of Moorepark Technology Limited (MTL), a joint venture company established by Teagasc with shareholders from the Irish Dairy Industry. It provides commercial pilot plant & research services for food industry customers and is a key constituent of Teagasc Food Research Centre Moorepark in the process of knowledge and technology transfer.
He is a Chartered Chemist of the Royal Society of Chemistry and completed his post graduate studies (M.Sc. Biochemistry) at University College Dublin in 1986 investigating the biochemistry of muscle proteases as a function of pH. He later became Head of the Meat Science Department in The National Food Centre, Dublin. During this time he has published over 100 scientific peer reviewed publications, book chapters and scientific articles, mainly in the area of meat quality. The main focus of his research is on the biochemistry of muscle proteins and their effects on meat tenderness. Declan has always encouraged the up-take of science based innovations by the food industry and has interacted widely with the sector to this end. His work has contributed to the introduction of new technologies at industrial level particularly in Irelands competitive beef sector.
He has coordinated six EU Framework food science projects and has recently finished coordinating, along with Geraldine Duffy, ProSafeBeef, an Integrated EU FP6 programme worth €20 million with 41 transnational partners aimed at advancing beef safety and quality through research and innovation. This landmark project involved close interaction with the meat science and industry community. He also coordinated two EU Framework Marie Curie Training Sites for early stage career meat science PhD students in meat biochemistry and functional meat products.
Currently he is the Director of the Marine Functional Food Research Initiative (NutraMara) a multidisciplinary programme aimed at discovering bioactive components from Irish marine sources for use in added value functional food products. It comprises of six institutional partners, 8 Principle Investigators, 14 post-doctorates and 20 Ph.D. students. He has collaborated in his research programme with many different research groups from all around the world including Australia, Korea and USA. He has been invited to speak at many international scientific conferences and industry seminars. He has supervised numerous PhD students to completion. Declan sits on many national and international committees formulating research priorities in food science and advising state agencies and companies. He is President of the Institute of Food Science and Technology of Ireland. He is chair of the organizing committees of both the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUoFST) 2016 and the International Congress of Meat Science and Technology 2017 to be held in Dublin.
Functions
The president is the highest office in the IFSTI and is the driving force of the Institute.
The president chairs the meetings of the Council and co-ordinates their activities. In addition the president chairs the annual general meeting of the IFSTI and any emergency general meetings. The president is the public face of the IFSTI and represents the Institute in all official engagements.
Hon Secretary
Kaye Burgess
Dr Kaye Burgess is a molecular microbiologist based in the Food Safety department
at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin. Kaye graduated with a BSc
and PhD in Microbiology from University College Cork. Her research interests
focus on understanding the behaviour and virulence of microbial pathogens, in
particular Gram-negative pathogens, in response to stresses encountered along
the farm to fork chain. She has participated in a number of European Framework
funded projects and also coordinates and participates in a number of nationally
funded research projects.
Functions
The secretary is the administrative focus of the IFSTI. The role is vital for the functioning of the Institute. The secretary handles all official correspondence to and from the IFSTI as well as arranging meetings of the Council and generating minutes of these meetings.
Hon Treasurer
Dr Lisa O'Connor
Lisa is Chief Specialist in Food Science, Food Safety Authority of Ireland has been working with the
FSAI for over 12
years. In 2009, she was appointed acting Chief Specialist in Food Science. In
this role Lisa chairs the Authority’s Retail and Food Service forums,
established to advance best food safety practice in these sectors. She has
chaired the Authority’s National HACCP Steering Committee since 2002, which was
established to facilitate a coordinated approach to increasing the level of
compliance with the HACCP requirement. She is the scientific secretary to the
Authority’s Microbiology Subcommittee and a member of the European Food Safety
Authority’s Taskforce on Zoonoses data collection. Lisa is a past President and
Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology of Ireland and a member
of the Society for Applied Microbiology. Her academic background includes a BSc
in food microbiology from University College Cork, where she attained her PhD in
the area of food biotechnology.
Functions
The treasurer maintains the finances of the IFSTI. The treasurer is responsible for the accounts of the Institute and ensuring that expenditure is in accord with the articles of association. The treasurer must ensure that the appropriate returns are made to satisfy legal requirements in particular requirements of the Revenue Commissioners and the Companies Office. The treasurer makes reports on the finances of the Institute at all Council meetings and at the IFSTI AGM.
Ordinary Council Members
Functions
There are six ordinary council members appointed at the AGM. However, additional members can be co-opted onto Council for specific tasks. The Council members carry out the activities of the IFSTI assigned to them by the President. These include publications, event organisation and web development amongst other assignments.
Dr. Wayne Anderson
Director of Food Science and Standards
Food Safety Authority of Ireland
Dr Anderson joined the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in 1999 as Chief Specialist: Food Science and is now acting Director of Food Science and Standards Division. Prior to this he spent 11 years in the food industry, 10 of which were with Unilever. His role in the FSAI involves direction of science including risk assessment. Dr. Anderson has lectured nationally on risk analysis and has conducted quantitative risk assessments on fluoride in infant formula and also on marine biotoxins in shellfish. He has participated in the WHO microbial risk assessment programme as well as the WHO/FAO expert consultation on the use of risk assessment outputs in risk management. Dr. Anderson has published papers in the area of food preservation systems, predictive microbiology and risk communication. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology Ireland and a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology UK. He holds a primary degree in biochemistry and a Ph.D in predictive microbiology.
Rena Barry-Ryan
Dr Rena Barry-Ryan is a Senior lecturer in Food product development at the Dublin Institute of Technology (http://www.dit.ie/fseh/stafflisting/barry-ryandrcatherine/). Her main areas of research interest lie in treatment and techniques to minimise postharvest loss of horticultural produce and the development of novel functional ingredients, in particular from waste sources in the food industry. She is a partner in the 'Integrated Irish PhytoFood Network: Tracing phytochemicals from farm to fork' www.ipfn.ie, The Sensory Food Network Ireland and in the ‘Integrating safety and environment knowledge in food towards European Sustainable Development’ Network. Dr Barry-Ryan has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers and participated in numerous international congresses.
Dr. Mark Fenelon
Dr. Mark Fenelon is Senior Principal Research Officer and Head of the Food
Programme at Teagasc Food Research Centre Moorepark, Fermoy, Co.
Cork, Ireland and at Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15,
Ireland. Mark was appointed to his current position in March 2015. He was
appointed as a research scientist at Teagasc in 2005 and was appointed
Head of the Food Chemistry and Technology Department in June 2010. Mark
graduated with a B.Sc. in Food Science and Technology from University
College Cork, Ireland in 1994, a PhD in Food Science and Technology in
2000 and a Diploma in Process and Chemical Engineering in 2007. His main
research interests are in dairy chemistry and related dairy processes. Dr.
Fenelon has expertise in rheology, protein - carbohydrate, protein - mineral
interactions and associated instrumentation / analytical techniques. He has
extensive pilot plant and processing experience in thermal and dehydration
technology (spray drying) at both industrial and academic level.
Eimear Gallagher
Dr. Eimear Gallagher holds an MSc and a
PhD degree in the area of cereal science and technology from University College
Cork. To date she has been involved in 14 large nationally-funded projects,
co-ordinating ten of these. She is also involved in a number of ongoing
industry-funded research trials. Her areas of expertise include empirical and
fundamental dough rheology, proteomics, qualitative and quantitative sensory
analysis, instrumental textural analysis, microscopy, pilot scale cereal
processing including milling, statistical design and mathematical modelling. She
currently has a number of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers under her
supervision. She is a member of professional cereal organisations and has
organised national and international symposia, conferences and workshops in
conjunction with these organisations.
Charles B. Lamb
Charles B. Lamb CEng. MIMechE. B.Tech.(Mech) Has worked for 45 years in Food
Factories firstly in maintenance, and then design of Food Factories and
Equipment. He has experience in Fruit processing and Jam Making, Fish and Shell
Fish processing, Chicken packing, Cattle Slaughtering and animal and fish by
products, bakeries, and blue cheese production, and associated refrigeration and
effluent plants.
Prof. James Lyng
Prof. James Lyng is the subject head for Food Science at University College Dublin where he lectures in Food Process Technology, Food Physics and coordinates the Food Science Professional Work Experience programme. His scientific research centres on the use of emerging thermal and non-thermal technologies in the processing of foods. In particular he focuses on the assessment of these technologies for accelerating reactions and/or preservation while also evaluating their impact on product quality/nutritional value and more recently has started to focus on their evaluation for extraction of bioactive compounds from foods.