Professor Lijing Ke

Can you tell us about your research, work and expertise in Southeast Asia?

My main collaborators in Thailand are Prof Pavinee Chinachoti who is the founder of Food Innovation and Regulation Network (FIRN) Thailand, Dr. Preeyabhorn Dat-Arun and Dr. Santad Wichienchot at the Prince of Songkla University. We are working on using traditional Thai food as dietary intervention to mitigate the risk of obesity, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. I am working with Dr. Khanitta Ruttarattanamongkol from the Naresuan University and her industrial partners on the nutritional and functional study of insect meals and proteins.

Meanwhile, I am initiating a joint effort with Dr. Lim Seng Joe at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia to study the Edible Bird’s Nest and its bioactive glycopeptides, exploring a way to enhance the biofunction of the regional food while facilitate tis sustainable production. I am in contact with Prof Dr Aman Wirakartakusumah about future collaborations, who is the President of International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST). He was Rector of three Indonesian universities, is a member of the Indonesia Academy of Sciences. We are aiming to work on the regional agro-food products to promote food security and health.

In addition, I was module lead at the National University of Singapore for a post-graduate course as a visiting professor. Joint research projects on alternative proteins, food nanostructure and energy metabolism will be established in 2024/2025 with Prof Weibiao Zhou and Dr. Meihui Liu at NUS. Working with Prof Jianshe Chen and his colleagues at A*STAR, the national research institute of Singapore, we are aiming to set up research collaborations and PhD students exchange programme supported by the institute’s international scholarships.