Inspired by a talk given by her now supervisor, Prof. Ranil, Piyumi was determined to complete a PhD with Ranil as her mentor. Now, partnering with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA, Piyumi is researching the chemical factors that make lupin unpalatable in mainstream foods, aiming to support the development of palatable lupin-based food products targeting human consumption. | Reading time: 5 min
Piyumi and Ranil reflect on the research journey, its challenges and highlights, and their supervisory relationship.
Piyumi
My research project is funded by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia. WA produces around 85% of the world’s Lupinus angustifolius harvest, which is also known as narrow-leaf lupin or Australian sweet lupins. They are high in protein and dietary fibre, produce relatively low greenhouse gas emissions, require less water and synthetic fertilisers, and can grow in harsh environments with poor soils. Despite being nutritious and sustainable, Australian sweet lupin’s full potential as a source of human food ingredient has not yet been fully explored. My research investigates the major chemical causes of off-aroma and off-flavour in Australian sweet lupin to guide strategies for improving lupin flavour, enabling the development of nutrient-rich lupin-based food products with enhanced consumer appeal.
I completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree with First-Class Honours from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. I was awarded the gold medal for the best student in the food science and technology program for obtaining the highest overall GPA and ranking first in my cohort. After graduation, I worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the same department, demonstrating Food Technology and Food Chemistry laboratory experiments and gaining experience in marking, invigilating, mentoring and supporting undergraduate student projects. I subsequently joined as a Research Assistant on the Erasmus Mundus project “Strengthening University–Enterprise Collaboration for Resilient Communities in Asia” funded by the European Union. This was my first experience working with collaborators from foreign universities and organisation and soon after completing this, I joined Curtin University as a PhD scholar.
I was inspired to reach out to Prof. Ranil after attending his talk at a seminar held in the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, which gave me insight into his research interests, vision and approach.
I believe choosing him as my supervisor is one of the best decisions I have made because he always keeps his door open for PhD students to discuss challenges, share achievements and seek guidance.
I’m also deeply grateful to my other supervisors: Prof. Mauro Mocerino, who is always open to discuss any issues or challenges related to my project, Sarita Bennett who consistently provides constructive feedback on my papers, Greg Shea from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA who always reminds me to think critically about the real-world industry problems and identify solutions, and Dr. Rewati Raman Bhattarai for his ongoing support whenever needed..
A major challenge in my research was the lack of access to certain complex, high-end analytical instruments, which were crucial for completing key experiments. To overcome this, I sought collaborations with other Departments and Universities that had access to those instruments and resources. This not only allowed me to complete my experiments but also provided valuable opportunities to learn new techniques, learn from experts in the field, and foster meaningful collaborations within the research community.
The greatest academic achievement of my research project to date has been the publication of my literature review in a high-impact journal, Comprehensive Review in Food Science and Food Safety, with an impact factor of 14.1, ranking approximately fourth in the SJR. Winning Curtin’s Visualise Your Thesis competition this year was a massive achievement and being a finalist in the international Visualise Your Thesis competition was a huge highlight. Completing the one-year IMNIS (Industry Mentoring Network in STEM) programme, offered by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering, has also been a particularly rewarding part of my PhD journey.
Prof. Ranil and I are very open with our communication. He truly wants what’s best for his students. He constantly encourages me to step beyond the lab and participate in competitions, conferences, trainings and workshops and those experiences have not only honed my skills but also connected me with a wider professional community.
After working with him, I learned that not everything is found in books or on the Internet. Some knowledge comes only through years of experience and hard work.
Ranil
I got into lupin in one of the first projects at the former Department of Agriculture in 1993, during my research master’s. It was a collaborative project between Curtin and the department. At the end of my research, I realised there were a lot of issues with lupin before it could be used as a food source. And one of those was its flavour and aroma. One of my recommendations was that we look at the off aroma and off flavours in lupin and do something about it. Lupin is high in protein, high in fibre, low in carbohydrates, but you can’t use it in mainstream food in good quantities because of these issues.
Thirty years later, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development decided to fund something, and that’s how Greg and I got involved, and we put up the proposal. After I did my PhD and started as a lecturer at Curtin, I did some work on lupin, and I’ve always been interested in it, so I decided to take on the supervisory role in the project. I chose to supervise Piyumi because she would ask me a million and one questions, which showed her enthusiasm.
The enthusiasm to do the research and be willing to learn is a lot more important than paper qualifications. Because of this drive, Piyumi has done a lot more work than what was originally planned and published this work.
My supervisory style is hands-on in one sense, and it’s hands-off in another sense. Hands-off in the sense that I don’t look over the shoulders of the student; I trust the student. But if they have a problem, I encourage them to look at a solution and come and talk to me. I’ll give them feedback, I’ll talk to them, and I’ll take them through the solutions, the problems and how to go about doing the work. I want them to learn. I want them to grow. I want them to be able to fly as they finish.
It’s always fantastic to see your students grow and develop as researchers and develop as people. Just watching Piyumi change from who she was when she first came to who she is now has been extremely rewarding.
Piyumi Wanniarachchi
Piyumi Wanniarachchi is a PhD candidate and a Sessional Academic at Curtin University, Australia. Her research is a collaborative project with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia, investigating the major chemical causes of off-aroma and off-flavour in Australian sweet lupins. This knowledge will guide strategies for improving lupin flavour, enabling the development of nutrient-rich lupin-based food products with enhanced consumer appeal.
Professor Ranil Coorey
Professor Ranil Coorey has worked in the industry before joining Curtin. He is currently engaged in collaborative industry projects both local and international. His projects on legumes and Australian native botanicals have identified unique compounds that has been extracted, stabilised and food ingredients developed, and functional food products developed. Ranil’s current work on lupin include identifying off aroma and flavour compounds so that mitigation strategies can be developed so that functional food can be developed with lupin.
