Fields of Research

Bacteriology
Food packaging, preservation and processing
Microbiology
Food safety, traceability, certification and authenticity
Microbial ecology
Proteomics and intermolecular interactions (excl. medical proteomics)
Cell metabolism
Post harvest horticultural technologies (incl. transportation and storage)
Other agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
Horticultural crop growth and development
Food sciences
Food sustainability
Food technology
Food chemistry and food sensory science

Research Objectives

Food safety
Carcass meat (incl. fish and seafood)
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Primary products from animals
Field grown vegetable crops
Poultry
Tree nuts (excl. almonds and macadamias)
Processed food products and beverages (excl. dairy products)
Expanding knowledge in the agricultural, food and veterinary sciences
Other health
Dairy products
Sheep for meat
Cheese
Livestock product traceability and quality assurance
Non-dairy milk
Manufacturing standards and calibrations
Air freight
Processed meat products

Career Best Publications

Research Publications

Listeria monocytogenes: illuminating adaptation with proteomics; Microbiology Australia
Application of chlorine dioxide and peroxyacetic acid during spray chilling as a potential antimicrobial intervention for beef carcasses; Food Microbiology
Bacteriophages and nuts; two routes to safe and healthy food; 2010 Agricultural Research Development Agency Conference : Food for Health, Beauty and Long-life
Changes of the bacterial community diversity on chicken carcasses through an Australian poultry processing line; Food Microbiology
Characterisation of Listeria monocytogenes food-associated isolates to assess environmental fitness and virulence potential; International Journal of Food Microbiology
Colonisation dynamics of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from food production environments; Scientific Reports
Combined effect of chilling and desiccation on survival of Escherichia coli suggests a transient loss of culturability; International Journal of Food Microbiology
Development of a Maillard reaction-based time-temperature integrator/indicator (TTI) for visual monitoring of chilled beef during long-term storage and distribution; Food and Bioprocess Technology
Development of models to determine non-thermal inactivation of bacteria in cheese; The Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Scientific Meeting
Effect of peracetic acid on Campylobacter in food matrices mimicking commercial poultry processing; Food Control
Effect of storage conditions on shelf stability of undiluted neutral electrolysed water; Journal of Food Protection
Effects of cold temperature and water activity stress on the physiology of Escherichia coli in relation to carcasses
Global genome response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai during dynamic changes in growth kinetics induced by an abrupt downshift in water activity; PLoS One
Global genome response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai during dynamic changes in growth kinetics induced by an abrupt temperature downshift; PLoS One
Impact of poultry processing operating parameters on bacterial transmission and persistence on chicken carcasses and their shelf life; Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of the physiological response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai to steady-state conditions of cold and water activity stress; Molecular and Cellular Proteomics
Investigation of the Listeria monocytogenes Scott A acid tolerance response and associated physiological and phenotypic features via whole proteome analysis; Journal of Proteome Research
Microbial spoilage mechanisms of vacuum-packed lamb meat: a review; International Journal of Food Microbiology
Modelling of the ecology of Listeria monocytogenes in foods; The Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Scientific Meeting
Novel biocontrol methods for Listeria monocytogenes biofilms in food production facilities; Frontiers in Microbiology
Persistent phenotypes in Listeria monocytogenes revealed by a higher throughput proteomics approach; 1st International One Health Congress
Physiological response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai to dynamic changes in temperature and water activity as experienced during carcass chilling; Molecular and Cellular Proteomics
Proteome analysis of Campylobacter jejuni poultry strain 2704 survival during 45 min exposure to peracetic acid; International Journal of Food Microbiology
Proteome level responses of Listeria monocytogenes ScottA within a simulated fermentation system; International Union of Microbiological Societies 2011
Proteomic analysis of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in response to steady-state conditions of cold and water activity stress; Genetics of Industrial Microorganisms 2010
Proteomic response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to steady-state conditions of cold and water activity stress; 22nd International ICFMH Symposium, Food Micro 2010
Proteomic response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to simultaneous abrupt downshifts in temperature and water activity; The Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Scientific Meeting 2012
Raw milk a risky business - Lab seeks clues to safer cheese
Shelf life of Australian red meat; Meat & Livestock Australia
Shelf-life extension of vacuum-packed lamb through manipulation of microbial community by elevated glucose; Australian Microbial Ecology Conference 2022
Spoilage potential of bacterial species from chilled vacuum-packed lamb; Food Microbiology
The effects of glucose on microbial spoilage of vacuum-packed lamb; Meat Science
The effects of glucose on the microbial spoilage of vacuum-packed lamb; Australian Society of Microbiology Annual National Scientific Meeting 2022
The protein landscape of Listeria monocytogenes ScottA within its supraoptimal temperature growth range reveals a weakness to oxidative stress; 5th Congress of European Microbiologists (FEMS 2013)
Use of bacteriophages as biocontrol agents to control Salmonella associated with seed sprouts; International Journal of Food Microbiology
Utility of gel-free, label-free shotgun proteomics approaches to investigate microorganisms; Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Research Projects

Application of glucose as a novel approach for shelf-life extension of vacuum-packed chilled sheep meats; Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA)
Development of a predictive model for vacuum-packed pork; Australian Pork Limited (APL)
Development of shelf life models for beef, lamb and pork; Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA)
Microbial communities of raw milk and their role in the quality of Australian cheeses; CSIRO-Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Principal research organisation in microbial ecology and physiology; Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA)
Determination of the potential public health risks of pathogens in foods and water
Evaluation and predictive modelling of shelf life of frozen beef products in different packaging systems

Research Candidate Supervision

Reduction of Pathogenic Escherichia coli on Red Meat Carcasses by Antimicrobial Interventions
Understanding and exploiting the physiology of E. coli under combined chill and osmotic stress