Virtual Workshop on Microbial Biotechnology for Novel Food and Food Ingredients for Southeast Asia

Day 2: Technical Session

September 14, 2022 | 8:00-9:30 am SGT

Day 3: Innovation of Products of Microbial Biotechnology

September 15, 2022 | 8:00-9:30 am SGT

Dr. Jennifer Rowland

Science Advisor, New Technologies and Production Methods Division, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dr. Jen Rowland is a science advisor in the New Technologies and Production Method Division in USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Jen completed her Ph.D. at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and continued postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, studying tuberculosis and salmonella pathogenesis. Following her postdoctoral research, Jen began working in science policy as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Dr. Adeline Yong

Scientist, Risk Assessment and Communication Department, National Centre of Food Science, Singapore Food Agency

Dr. Adeline Yong is a Scientist at the National Centre of Food Sciences (NCFS), working with a team that focuses on risk assessment, communication of food safety as well as and safety evaluations of novel food in Singapore. She graduated from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore with a Ph.D. specializing in microbiology and public health. Prior to working at SFA, she was a research fellow at the Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), where her work focused on biofilm and antimicrobial resistance. She had also spearheaded the design pipeline and established new techniques to generate the world’s first pooled Enterococcus faecalis transposon mutant library.

Dr. Bhupender Sharma

Senior Manager – Regulatory Sciences and Advocacy, International Flavors & Fragrances, Singapore

Dr. Bhupender Sharma is based in Singapore, leading the Regulatory Science & Advocacy function in the region for International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), a Nourish, Scent, Health & Biosciences and Pharma Solutions multinational. IFF’s biosciences portfolio is aimed at improving sustainability of the food chain, consumer products, and the bio-based economy at large. He has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences from India and is a professional capable of handling a regulatory portfolio through advocacy capabilities, with a passion for managing resources and technical programs. He has skills in the areas of product development, marketing, and business development, with more than 20 years’ experience in regulatory affairs and advocacy for crop protection solutions across three multinational corporations and more than 5 years in regulatory advocacy and market access of food & bioscience products at IFF. He also serves as Director on the board of Feed Ingredient Premix Association of Asia (FIPAA), an initiative of Manufactures of Feed Additives and Premixes with an Asia Pacific focus.

Dr. Vince Sewalt

Head of Science & Advocacy – IFF Global Regulatory Affairs, International Flavors & Fragrances, USA

Dr. Vince Sewalt leads the Regulatory Science & Advocacy function of IFF, a Nourish, Scent, Health & Biosciences and Pharma Solutions multinational resulting from the merger of DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences and International Flavors & Fragrances. IFF’s Biosciences portfolio is aimed at improving sustainability of the food chain, consumer products, and the bio-based economy at large. He has an Ag engineer degree from Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands, a Ph.D. in Nutrition from Virginia Tech, and has conducted post-doctoral research in agricultural biotechnology with Agriculture & Agri-Foods Canada and with the Noble Foundation in Oklahoma. With 25 years’ experience managing innovation and market access of food & bioscience products in four U.S. companies, Vince is passionate about regulatory capacity building in biotechnology applications for food, feed, and chemicals with regulators and other stakeholders. Vince has shared his insights in FoodTech and Biotech risk assessment and risk communication in conferences and conventions, with trade associations, with NGOs such as Woodrow Wilson, the National Academy of Sciences and JECFA, and with regulatory agencies around the globe. Vince is a prolific author with over 30 peer-reviewed publications and patents in the areas of food & agricultural science, biotechnology, and biosafety/regulatory of products made with microbial biotechnology and is co-editor of the journal Industrial Biotechnology.

Dr. Alisa Vangnai

Professor, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University and Chief Technology Officer, BIOM Co. Ltd., Thailand

Dr. Alisa S. Vangnai earned a B.Sc. in Food & Biotechnology and an M.Sc. in Biotechnology from the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, and then joined the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science at Chulalongkorn University as a lecturer in 1996. After receiving a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Oregon State University, she resumed her academic position in 2002 and was promoted to a full Professor in Biochemistry in 2017. Her research interests are in Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology, with a focus on biocatalyst mechanism studies, as well as the improvement and development of biocatalysts through cell adaptations, protein engineering, and metabolic engineering for a variety of applications in industries, biorefinery and bioremediation. She was named Outstanding Young Researcher, followed by Outstanding Mid-Career Researcher in Biological Science from the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. She is now the head of the Center of Excellence in Biocatalyst and Sustainable Biotechnology, Chulalongkorn University. For more than a decade, she has collaborated with numerous industries on research and product development, resulting in several patents. Additionally, she serves communities through outreach programs that put her research findings to practical use. In 2020, she was awarded “First Place” in the Leaders in Innovation Fellowships Thailand Pitch, and “The Oxentia Rising Star Award” in the Leaders in Innovation Fellowships by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Newton Fund (UK), in partnership with NSTDA and TSRI (Thailand). Currently, she is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of a Biotechnology-based & SynBio-based company, called “BIOM CO. LTD.”, that was spun-off with support from the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University.

Tony Pavel

Deputy General Counsel – Global Food Law, Perfect Day, USA

Tony Pavel serves as Deputy General Counsel, Global Food Law at Perfect Day, a consumer biology company on a mission to create a kinder, greener tomorrow by developing new ways to make the foods you love today — starting in the dairy aisle. In his role, he oversees regulatory legal matters for Perfect Day, bringing his food law experience to a significant period of growth for the company. Tony brings over 20 years of experience as a counselor to the food industry and has handled a broad range of issues, including obtaining the authorization of new food ingredients, complying with manufacturing requirements, labeling and advertising, and regulatory compliance in the global supply chain. Tony has been named one of the leading food lawyers in the U.S. by Chambers & Partners and Law360, as well as Top Corporate Counsel by DCA Live.

Prior to joining Perfect Day, Tony led the Global Food Law Team at Cargill, Incorporated, a global food, agriculture, financial and industrial products provider. Tony was responsible for food law across Cargill’s global businesses, including partnering with the QA function for Food Safety Modernization Act implementation at Cargill’s domestic and global manufacturing facilities; R&D ingredient approval strategy; M&A/JV regulatory diligence
implementation and execution; labeling, advertising, and communications compliance; as well as advising the Government Relations function on food regulatory matters. Prior to Cargill, Tony served as the Deputy Chair of the FDA Practice at Morgan Lewis & Bockius, a leading global law firm working with a broad range of food, feed, and agricultural technology companies. In addition, Tony served as the General Counsel and Secretary to the Enzyme Technical Association. Tony has also served on a number of advisory boards including the World Food Law Institute, the Food Protection and Defense Institute, and as the past Chair of the Institute of Food Technologists Food Laws and Regulations Division. Tony received his Honors degree in Zoology from the University of Western Ontario, and Law degree from Loyola University Chicago. He is passionate about the future of animal-free dairy and its vision of building a more equitable, resilient, and diverse food system for all of us.

Matilda Ho

Founder and Managing Director, Bits x Bites, China

Matilda Ho is founder and managing director of Bits x Bites, China’s pioneer food tech venture capital investing in startups tackling global food system challenges. Following a career in agrifood consulting with corporates and building her own startup, she made it her mission to address the gaps in the interlinked food supply chain. Now, as an investor, she helps advance teams and innovations that can create enduring value while improving the sustainability of the system that produces, processes, and delivers our food. In addition to Bits x Bites, she founded Yimishiji, China’s first online farmers market and farm-to-table e-commerce platform. The company promotes ethically grown producers, as well as naturally made and minimally processed food. It also empowers consumers to eat better, safer, cleaner and more mindfully.

Her earlier career includes leadership roles at IDEO and BCG (The Boston Consulting Group) in Shanghai and Washington, D.C. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.