{"id":30873,"date":"2026-05-26T10:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T02:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=oasis-news&p=30873"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T02:03:19","slug":"making-milestones-piyumi-wanniarachchi","status":"publish","type":"oasis-news","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/oasis-news\/making-milestones-piyumi-wanniarachchi\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Milestones:\u00a0Digging into improving\u00a0the\u00a0flavour profile\u00a0of Australian sweet\u00a0lupin\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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,\u00a0Piyumi\u00a0is researching the chemical factors that make lupin unpalatable in mainstream foods,\u00a0aiming to support the development of palatable lupin-based food products targeting human\u00a0consumption. | Reading time: 5 min<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piyumi and Ranil reflect on the research journey, its challenges and highlights, and their supervisory relationship.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piyumi<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My research project is funded by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development,\u00a0Western Australia. WA\u202fproduces around\u00a085% of the\u00a0world\u2019s\u00a0Lupinus\u00a0angustifolius<\/em>\u202fharvest, which is also\u00a0known as\u00a0narrow-leaf\u00a0lupin\u00a0or Australian sweet\u00a0lupins.\u00a0They are high in protein and dietary fibre, produce\u00a0relatively low\u00a0greenhouse gas emissions, require less water and synthetic fertilisers, and can grow in harsh environments with poor soils.\u00a0Despite being nutritious and sustainable, Australian sweet\u00a0lupin\u2019s full potential as a source of human food ingredient has not yet been fully explored.\u00a0My research investigates the major chemical causes of off-aroma and off-flavour in Australian sweet\u00a0lupin\u00a0to\u00a0guide strategies for improving\u00a0lupin\u00a0flavour, enabling the development of nutrient-rich\u00a0lupin-based food products with enhanced consumer appeal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I completed a\u00a0Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree with First-Class Honours\u00a0from the University of\u00a0Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. I was awarded the gold medal for the best student in\u00a0the\u00a0food science and technology program for obtaining the highest overall GPA\u00a0and ranking first in my cohort.\u00a0After graduation, I worked as a\u00a0Graduate\u00a0Teaching\u00a0Assistant\u00a0in the same department,\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0Food Technology and Food Chemistry\u00a0laboratory experiments\u00a0and\u00a0gaining experience in\u00a0marking,\u00a0invigilating,\u00a0mentoring\u00a0and supporting undergraduate student projects.\u00a0I\u00a0subsequently\u00a0joined as a Research Assistant\u00a0on\u00a0the Erasmus Mundus project\u00a0\u201cStrengthening University\u2013Enterprise Collaboration for Resilient Communities in Asia\u201d<\/em>\u00a0funded by the European Union. This was my first experience working with collaborators from foreign universities and\u00a0organisation\u00a0and\u00a0soon\u00a0after\u00a0completing\u00a0this, I joined\u00a0Curtin\u00a0University as a PhD scholar.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was inspired to reach out to Prof.\u00a0Ranil after attending his talk\u00a0at\u00a0a\u00a0seminar held\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0University of\u202fSri\u00a0Jayewardenepura,\u00a0which\u00a0gave me insight into his research\u00a0interests,\u00a0vision\u00a0and approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe choosing him as my supervisor is one of the best decisions I have\u00a0made\u00a0because he always keeps his door open for PhD students to discuss challenges, share achievements and seek guidance.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I’m\u202falso\u00a0deeply grateful\u00a0to my other supervisors:\u00a0Prof.\u00a0Mauro\u202fMocerino, who is always\u00a0open\u00a0to discuss any issues or challenges related to my project,\u00a0Sarita Bennett\u00a0who\u00a0consistently provides constructive feedback on my papers,\u00a0Greg Shea from\u00a0the\u00a0Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA\u00a0who\u00a0always reminds me to think critically about the\u00a0real-world\u00a0industry problems and\u00a0identify\u00a0solutions,\u00a0and\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Rewati\u00a0Raman Bhattarai\u00a0for\u00a0his\u00a0ongoing\u00a0support whenever needed..\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.\u00a0To\u00a0overcome this, I sought collaborations with other\u00a0Departments\u00a0and\u00a0Universities\u00a0that had access to\u00a0those\u202finstruments\u00a0and resources.\u202fThis not only allowed me to complete my experiments but also\u00a0provided\u00a0valuable opportunities to learn new techniques, learn from experts in the field, and\u00a0foster meaningful collaborations within the research community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The greatest academic achievement of my research project to date has been the publication of my literature review in a high-impact journal,\u00a0Comprehensive Review in Food Science and Food Safety,\u00a0with an impact factor of 14.1, ranking approximately fourth in the SJR.\u00a0Winning Curtin\u2019s\u00a0Visualise Your Thesis<\/em>\u00a0competition this year was a massive\u00a0achievement and\u00a0being a finalist in the international\u00a0Visualise Your Thesis<\/em>\u00a0competition was a\u00a0huge\u00a0highlight.\u00a0Completing 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof.\u202fRanil\u202fand I are\u202fvery open\u202fwith our communication.\u00a0He\u202ftruly\u202fwants\u202fwhat’s\u202fbest for his students.\u00a0He constantly encourages me to step beyond the lab and\u00a0participate\u00a0in competitions, conferences, trainings and workshops and\u00a0those\u00a0experiences have not only honed my skills but also connected me with a wider professional community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/strong>\u202f\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ranil<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I got\u00a0into\u00a0lupin\u00a0in\u00a0one of the first projects at the former Department of Agriculture in 1993,\u00a0during\u00a0my research master\u2019s.\u202fIt was a collaborative project between\u202fCurtin\u202fand the\u00a0department.\u202fAt the end of my research, I realised there\u00a0were\u202fa lot of issues with\u00a0lupin before it could be used as a food source.\u202fAnd one of\u00a0those\u00a0was its flavour and aroma.\u00a0One of my recommendations was that we look at the off aroma and off flavours in\u00a0lupin\u00a0and do something about it.\u00a0Lupin\u00a0is\u202fhigh in protein, high in fibre, low in carbohydrates, but you\u202fcan’t\u202fuse it\u00a0in mainstream food\u00a0in good quantities because of these issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirty\u00a0years\u00a0later, the\u00a0Department\u00a0of\u00a0Primary\u00a0Industries and\u00a0Regional\u00a0Development decided to\u00a0fund something,\u00a0and that’s how Greg\u00a0and I\u00a0got involved,\u00a0and\u00a0we put up the proposal.\u00a0After I did my PhD and started\u00a0as\u00a0a lecturer\u00a0at Curtin,\u00a0I did some work\u00a0on\u00a0lupin,\u00a0and\u00a0I’ve\u00a0always been interested in\u00a0it,\u00a0so I decided to take on the\u00a0supervisory role in the\u00a0project. I chose to supervise Piyumi because she\u00a0would ask me a million and one questions, which showed\u00a0her\u00a0enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0enthusiasm to do the research and be willing to learn\u00a0is a lot more important than paper qualifications.\u00a0Because of this drive,\u00a0Piyumi has done a lot more work than what was originally planned and published this work.<\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My supervisory style is hands-on in one sense, and\u202fit’s\u202fhands-off in another sense. Hands-off in the sense\u00a0that\u00a0I\u202fdon’t\u202flook over the shoulders of the student;\u00a0I trust the student.\u00a0But\u00a0if they have a problem, I encourage them to\u00a0look at a solution\u00a0and come and talk to me.\u00a0I’ll\u202fgive them feedback,\u202fI’ll\u202ftalk to them,\u00a0and\u202fI’ll\u202ftake them through the\u202fsolutions, the problems and how to go about doing the work.\u202fI want them to learn. I want them to grow. I want them to be able to fly as they finish.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s\u00a0always fantastic to see your students grow and develop as researchers and develop as people. Just watching\u202f Piyumi\u202fchange from who she was when she first came\u00a0to\u00a0who\u00a0she\u00a0is\u00a0now has\u00a0been extremely rewarding.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Piyumi\u00a0Wanniarachchi\"