Polly Burey

Professor Polly Burey is a chemical and materials engineer/food scientist at the University of Southern Queensland, where she serves as Professor in the School of Agriculture and Environmental Science. She leads the BSc Food Science major introduced in 2017 and the Sustainable Industry Design research theme (established 2022) within the Centre for Future Materials at the Institute for Advanced Engineering and Space Sciences. Her research focuses on formulation-microstructure-processing-rheology relationships in food materials and sustainable industrial applications.

• Co-Director of NO WASTE (New Options for Waste And Saving The Environment) pilot precinct (2021-2026, $2M SURF grant)
• Co-Director of SIMPLE Hub (Sustainable Industry Manufacturing Planning for Long-term Ecosystems) ($3.35M RRC grant, 2022-2025)
• Oversees a $13M+ research portfolio with multidisciplinary teams across science, engineering, business, and education
• Professional memberships: Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (QLD Branch Chair 2019-2022), Institute of Chemical Engineers, Society of Rheology, ISEKI

Research Interests span food materials science, microstructure-rheology relationships, circular economy systems, and waste valorization into functional materials/ingredients. She integrates chemical engineering principles with sustainable design across resource, medical, and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Her recent publications demonstrate cross-disciplinary applications in food waste transformation, polymer composites, mycelium-based materials, and biomedical devices. Work includes 3D bioengineered bone models, antimicrobial hydrogels, and sustainable construction materials.

Teaching includes courses like Food Chemistry, Food Processing, and Food Microbiology. She has 24+ years of tertiary teaching experience and serves as Project Supervisor for postgraduate research.

Grants include:

• Regional Research Collaboration (RRC) Program ($3.35M, 2022-2025)
• Strategic University Reform Fund (SURF, $2M, 2021-2026)
• Fight Food Waste CRC/Nutrafruit grant ($99K, 2020)

Labs/Teams: Leads the Sustainable Industry Design research team at Centre for Future Materials, coordinating 15+ industry/government partners and 3 university consortia. Advisory committees include CSIRO, ANSTO, and commercialization experts.