Hanneke Lam joined the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Greenwich in 2010 as agricultural economist.

She is currently on secondment as Director – Business Manager of Agrinatura EEIG, the European Alliance of universities and research centres working on agricultural and nutritional knowledge for development (https://agrinatura-eu.eu/).  Agrinatura represents 35 EU institutes across 17 countries (including NRI/UoG), with a common interest in supporting agricultural development in a sustainable manner to improve people’s lives, health and well-being.

Hanneke holds an MSc and BSc in development economics from Wageningen University. Her research and consultancy interests are related to socio-economic and institutional aspects of food systems and agricultural development.

Julie Crenn holds an MSc (with distinction) in Food Safety and Quality Management from the University of Greenwich. During her study she received a HACCP Level 3 certificate and has since become a registered trainer for HACCP by the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH). She has worked in the food industry as a New Product Development Manager for 10 years mainly working in SMEs.

Julie joined NRI in 2016 as a Food Safety Specialist. In the same year, she completed a PGCert in Higher Education from the University of Greenwich and became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is a module leader of the Food Product and Process Development and Food Preservation modules and lectures on several modules on the MSc Applied Food Safety and Quality Management, the IFST-accredited MSc Food Innovation, and MSc Food Safety and Quality Management (e-learning). Since 2020, Julie is programme Leader of the MSc Food Safety and Quality Management (e-learning).

Julie has been involved in several consultancy projects overseas. In 2016, she developed and delivered a training programme for the NICHE project. The training supported the Faculty team in designing and developing new short courses, including a ‘taster day’, using practical and interactive learning methods and materials. In 2018, together with NRI colleagues. In 2018, together with NRI colleagues, she has worked for/with the World Food Programme (WFP) on the development of training programmes, capacity development material, and delivery of HACCP level 2 to a wide range of staff and practitioners from WFP from across Africa and from their headquarters. She provided training both in French and English in a range of locations across Africa.

Julie is currently studying for a part-time PhD on biofortified cassava supervised by Professor Andrew Westby and Dr Richard Fuchs. The research is looking at whether high-quality cassava flour (HQCF) made using traditional west African processing methods could be transformed into a product similar to sour starch, a Brazilian dual modified starch with expanding properties when baked. The finished product could be used to create similar indirectly extruded products and create opportunities for the development of novel biofortified snack products tailored to the African market.

Her other interests are in consumer science, food choice, EU Food law. She is bilingual French–English.

Karen Thurston obtained her BSc (Hons) First Class Natural Sciences from the Open University (1999-2003).

Karen has previously worked in new product development for both Trebor UK Ltd and St Ivel UK Ltd where she held the role of Development Laboratory Manager.

She joined the East Malling campus of the Natural Resources Institute in January 2017 following eight and a half years working in horticultural research at the East Malling Research Station.

Karen works at The Produce Quality Centre as the centre’s facility manager, providing essential management and technical support for the execution of successful project delivery. Karen is a specialist in controlled atmosphere and low temperature storage of fresh produce. She is experienced in both internal, external and sensory produce assessments and has been an established member of the tasting board at The National Fruit Show.

Karen has provided training and support to both students and colleagues, and worked on a range of projects, providing technical support, small-scale commercial consultancy work and key assistance in larger collaborative projects.

Controlled Atmosphere Storage, Postharvest Quality, Plant Physiology and Crop Storage Management

Food safety and quality management systems specialist with over 49 years working in the food supply chain in developing and developed countries. Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health and a member of RSPH's the Food Sector Advisory Panel.  Recognised trainer and co-ordinator in RSPH Hygiene and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems- established NRI as a training and examination centre for the RSPH in 1996. Trained third party auditor to ISO 9001:2015, the British Retail Consortium Global Standard (Food - version 8) and Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA).

Specialist knowledge of safety and quality attributes of agricultural and horticultural produce, fish and fishery products, meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, cereals and pulses, roots and tubers, tree nuts, herbs and spices. Knowledge of EU and global food law and skills in strengthening National Food Control Systems (NFCS). Experienced in the development of new food products, novel ingredients and environmentally friendly packaging.

Extensive skills in the design, implementation and management of appropriate safety and quality management systems for the food and feed sectors based upon Codex Food Hygiene Basic Texts, HACCP.  Skills in laboratory based research and routine conformance inspection and testing for food and feed. Familiarity with the establishment of systems to comply with ISO 17025. NRI quality assurance manager, led the NRI team in the design and development of the NRI quality management system to the requirements of ISO 9001 in 1997, maintained and upgraded in line with revised standards over the years and the system is now compliant with the ISO 9001:2015 requirements.

Research interests include lactic acid fermentation as a low cost preservation method; understanding the effects of climate change on food systems and associated hazards; novel antimicrobial agents for use in food preservation, the effect of food on the microbiome and human susceptibility to rare neurological conditions.

Developed and managed three MSc food programmes offered by NRI of the University of Greenwich since 2001: MSc Food Safety and Quality Management (2001 - 2013); (MSc Food Innovation 2013 - present) and MSc Food Safety and Quality Management e-learning (2017 - present). Designed and taught many short courses for continuing professional development (CPD) and specific client requirements, e.g. food safety management systems for food aid systems; strengthening NFCS, safety and quality management systems for a range of food commodities and products; RSPH recognised HACCP and hygiene courses.

Extensive overseas experience in Latin America (Mexico, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Brazil,Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay Ecuador, Colombia), Africa (Egypt, Tunisia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Togo, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda), Asia (Japan, Thailand) and Europe. Fluent Spanish and Greek.

Dr. Zand is an internationally acclaimed expert in the field of infant nutrition she is the author of several peer reviewed publications and is frequently invited to deliver plenary and other invited lectures at major symposia and at international conferences on food and nutrition. She is regularly engaged with the media, including the BBC, Channel 4, and Channel 5 as an expert in food science and nutrition. Her recent commentary on Food Poverty in the Evening Standard as part of their Food Hunger December 2020 campaign was very well received.

As well as a member of the Institute of Leadership and Management (Inst.LM) Dr Zand is also a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science & Technology (FIFST) providing food and nutrition advice to both the public and private sector such as Kent, Lewisham and Greenwich councils. She is frequently invited to contribute to food related projects including Good Food in Greenwich (GFIG), promotion of healthy nutrition in relation to early life development such as “Eating Well: first year of life Practical guide” published by the Caroline Walker Trust and “Baby food in the UK” First Step Nutrition. Dr Zand's research has also been referenced in Public Health England (2019) rapid scoping review examining the role and impact of commercial baby foods and drinks on the diets of children aged 4 months.

Dr Zand has on-going engagements with large multi-national companies through to small regional SMEs developing new protocols for analytical based optimizations of the nutritional quality of new food products. She has also worked on health claims, labelling and legislation, the application of modified atmosphere packaging in prolonging post-harvest shelf-life and waste reduction of perishable food. Dr Zand also has expertise the analysis of food and the effective implementation of appropriate Total Management Quality Systems /HACCP.  She is the badge holder of Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 8 Lead Auditor and is currently responsible for the accreditation of the ASL laboratory services at the university against ISO 17025:2017.

Dr Zand is member of Kent and Medway NHS Trust Joint Research Collaboration group, All Party Parliamentary Food and Health Forum, and has recently been invited to talk on infant feeding in the UK. She is currently a member of the Research award board of Coeliac UK and is also a Food Standard Agency registered specialist, joining the board of reviewers of the Journal of Foods (JFOOD) (2020). This is in addition to previously serving as a Guest Editor for a Special issue on Infant and Child Nutrition (2015) for JFOOD, Associate Editor (2016) for Food Processing and Technology (MOJFPD), and as an Editorial Board Member for Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition (JPANS).

Professor Delia Grace Randolph joined the University of Greenwich in May 2020. She was formerly Program Leader (joint) for the Animal and Human Health Program at the International Livestock Research Institute, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

This is part of the CGIAR, a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security. CGIAR research aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, improve human health and nutrition, and sustainable management of natural resources. It has had a long collaboration with NRI

Originally trained as a veterinarian, she worked for five years in mainly large animal practice in Lancashire, UK. After that she worked as a volunteer for three years in Bangladesh supporting livestock development.

Subsequently she undertook a MSc at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and then a PhD at the Free University Berlin, in Germany. Her post-doctoral position was with Cornell University and ILRI, focusing on food safety. Her MSc and PhD were both on vector-borne animal diseases in Africa: namely heartwater and trypanosomiasis.

From 2006 to 2020 she worked at ILRI mainly in One Health/Ecohealth, that is research at intersection of the health of the environment, animals and people.

She has received various awards including the Grieg medal and the Trevor Blackburn award and has published  high impact factor journals such as the Lancet and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. She co-authored the first and so far only book on food safety in informal markets

Her PhD was on antimicrobial resistance and as this area has risen up the development agenda, she and her team have built a large portfolio of projects on agriculture-associated antimicrobial resistance.

She has worked with the World Animal Health Organisation, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Bank and other international, regional and national organisations.

Rania is a food processing engineer. She joined the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich in September 2022 as a lecturer in food safety and food innovation. Rania obtained her PhD from Loughborough University where her thesis investigated creating a knowledge-base for food reformulation in an approach to tackle obesity. Prior to obtaining her PhD, Rania worked in the industry and several research centres including the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France, KU-Leuven in Belgium, and Technological University Dublin in Ireland. She gained multidisciplinary knowledge on product development, food analysis (microbiology, chemistry and sensory) and nutrition. Her research interests are related to product development (e.g. sugar and fat reduction) and food sustainability including the innovation of alternative protein.

Sarah joined Natural Resources Institute in 2017 as a Project Controller before becoming Project Delivery Manager. 

In 2006 Sarah became ACCA qualified and has comprehensive experience in all areas of business finance function.

Sarah’s responsibilities include complex financial reporting and project management for EC contracts and UK donor institutions.

Specialisms include

• Project financial reporting systems of multiple funding bodies and international donor organisations.
• Project audit requirements of international funding bodies including the EC, UKRI and FCDO.
• Grant Management.
• Belgian salary and employment entitlements.
• ACCA Accounting rules and practices.