Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your academic background?
My name is Stephanie Angela and I am from Indonesia. I have always had a passion for optimising and designing production processes for the food and beverage industries, which is why I was interested in joining the ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production.
I completed my Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree at the University of Surabaya, Indonesia in the Faculty of Engineering. During my degree I travelled to Australia to take part in a six month exchange program at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane. The subjects I studied during my chemical engineering degree have provided me with an excellent foundation for many projects I have been involved with since.
I decided to continue studying at QUT and completed a Master of Philosophy degree. My research project investigated the optimisation of bovine bone waste management into high-value commodities. The project was funded and supported by QUT, Meat and Livestock Australia, and some of the most prominent meat production companies in Australia.
Could you introduce us to your project and what it involves?
The topic of my current PhD project is Optimisation of Membrane Technology for Efficient Wine Processing and Recovery of Phenolic Components. It involves investigating the potential of membrane technology to increase the value of overly pressed wine and retain some of the precious substances that might be able to be used as additives to improve or solve problematic wines.
I found this project through the University of Adelaide’s website and I was highly interested. The project is in line with my professional interest as a chemical engineer focused on food and beverage industries and a topical project to be involved with given the prominence of the Australian, and in particular South Australian, wine industries. The project is supervised by Professor Kerry Wilkinson, an expert in the field, whom I am excited to be working with.
I have been a regular consumer of wine and I’m keen to learn more about the science behind wine making!
What can you see yourself doing in the future?
I will continue to pursue a career that is in line with my personal and professional career interests in the food and beverage industries as a chemical engineer/food scientist.