Adapting to Change in Food Engineering and Navigating Industry Shifts with Associate Professor Seamus Higgins | Ep. 97

What does it take to shape the future of food production and drive sustainability in the industry? Seamus Higgins, Associate Professor and Course Director for Food Process Engineering at the University of Nottingham, shares his journey from electrical engineer to food process expert—and how he's inspiring the next generation of engineers.

Seamus began his career as an electrical engineer in the food industry and has worked with leading international food companies including Tongaat Hewlett, Nestle, and Premier Foods. He has held lead project and senior management roles in factory development, food process engineering, and new product development, and has also consulted for global food and UK companies as well as entrepreneur development and new company start-ups.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What it means to understand the concept of food and why it's crucial to innovation
• How the food system is evolving and what that means for future food production
• The challenges of change management in an industry that's always evolving
• The critical role of a food engineer in creating sustainable solutions for the food industry

Show Notes

Seamus's  / LinkedIn / Research Gate 

 

TIMESTAMPS

(0:00) Introduction

(1:40) What is the food?

(4:50) Seamus's food job

(9:30) What is a food engineer

(13:20) How Seamus got into engineering

(19:00) Evolution of the food system

(26:05) How food technologies have changed

(30:00) Learning how to manage change

(40:21)  What is exciting Seamus about the industry

(51:40) Seamus's new book

 

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