Maria Dimopoulou

Dr. Maria Dimopoulou is a Senior Lecturer in Food Science & Technology and Course Leader for MSc Food Science and Biotechnology at Teesside University's School of Health & Life Sciences. She joined in 2020 and also holds a Visiting Professorship at the University of British Columbia since October 2024. Her expertise spans food sustainability, waste valorization, and biopolymer applications.

Education:

• PhD in Food and Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2017)
• MSc in Pharmaceutical Technology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2012)
• BSc in Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2010)

Research Interests: Focus on recovering biopolymers from food/agricultural waste, their characterization via advanced techniques (e.g., HPLC, NMR), and developing functional applications like emulsifiers and packaging films. Key areas include food waste valorization, sustainable resource utilization, and green technologies.

Teaching: Module leader for Food Sustainability and tutor for Food Technology, Innovation, and Advanced Manufacturing courses.

Projects & Grants: Lead or co-investigator in projects such as Hooba® plant-based mince ingredient optimization (2024), STARVIT2 (2021), and sugar beet-to-citric acid conversion (2021). Active in editing special journal issues on green technologies and agricultural resource extraction.