Food Futures Lecture Series No. 34: University of Auckland’s Associate Professor Meng Wai Woo

Summary

Associate Professor Meng Wai Woo (Dr Mingwei Hu) of the University of Auckland delivered the 34th instalment of the 'Food Futures' academic lecture series, published on 23 October 2026. Founded in 1883, the University of Auckland is New Zealand's largest public research university, with more than 40,000 students. It ranks 65th in the QS World University Rankings 2026 and 152nd in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, retaining its position as New Zealand's top university.

Associate Professor Woo is based in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, where he serves as Associate Head (Academic) and coordinates the university's Master of Food Engineering programme. He is a member of the editorial board of Drying Technology, published by Taylor & Francis, and of the board of the IChemE Food and Drink Special Interest Group. A Chartered Chemical Engineer with the UK Engineering Council, he currently chairs the IChemE New Zealand board and is co-director of the University of Auckland Faculty of Science's Future Foods Centre, which connects the food industry with academia, particularly companies in the Auckland region.

Dr Woo works closely with the Australian and New Zealand food industries, especially the dairy sector, and has collaborated with major companies including Fonterra, Bega Cheese, Glaxo Smith Kline Australia, Nufarm and CleanTEQ. He is also a principal investigator at the Australia-China Joint Research Centre (ACJRC), funded by the Australian government, which involves major Australian dairy companies and China's COFCO. He has published 120 peer-reviewed journal papers, four books and nine book chapters in chemical engineering, food engineering and spray drying.

Commentary

Associate Professor Meng Wai Woo's lecture series focuses on food engineering and spray drying technology, and his deep collaboration with Australasian dairy companies such as Fonterra and Bega Cheese underscores the critical role of industry-academia partnerships in dairy processing innovation. New Zealand dairy exports account for about 30 percent of global trade volume, and as the largest co-operative, Fonterra's spray drying processes directly affect milk powder quality and energy consumption. Dr Woo's involvement in the Australia-China Joint Research Centre, which includes COFCO, suggests that New Zealand-Australia-China co-operation in dairy technology could indirectly influence product standards and supply chain efficiency in the Chinese market.

For New Zealand SMEs, monitoring such academic developments can help anticipate the direction of processing technology upgrades, such as low-energy drying or functional milk powder development, enabling them to build differentiated advantages in niche markets. At the same time, the Future Foods Centre's focus on local companies gives small and medium-sized food firms a channel for technology transfer and lowers the barrier to research and development. However, R&D partnerships led by large dairy companies may squeeze SMEs' access to technology, and smaller firms are advised to participate through industry associations or joint research projects.

Keywords: University of Auckland, Meng Wai Woo, food engineering, spray drying, dairy industry, Future Foods Centre, academic lecture, Australia-China Joint Research Centre

Source: South China University of Technology