Prof Munish Puri

Prof Munish Puri joined as the inaugural Professor of the Riddet - BSI | AgResearch Chair in Alternative Proteins.  He holds a PhD in Industrial Biotechnology from India and did his post-doctoral training in protein biotechnology at University of Oxford, UK. Prof. Puri is at the forefront of pioneering research in alternative proteins, precision fermentation, and cellular agriculture.

Prof Puri has dedicated his career to academia and successfully led a range of multidisciplinary industry-funded projects, and multi-institutional funding at various Universities in Australia. He spearheads a research team that uses bioprocessing (precision fermentation and downstream processing) to address global challenges in sustainability, food security, and human well-being. His lab addresses three major research programs: a) cell factories for high-value metabolite production such as proteins, enzymes and lipids, b) food biotechnology for nutraceutical extraction, functional foods and novel foods development relating to Omega-3/6 fatty acids, and c) nanotechnology for stabilizing enzymes with applications in health and bioenergy production.

Collectively, his research has led to high number of highly cited publications (175+) reflecting transformative research reaching a broad readership. The Stanford-Elsevier citation index ranked him amongst the top 10 Australian researchers in the field. 

Based on his contribution to biotechnology, the Royal Society of Chemistry honored him with a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK. He is particularly recognized for the discovery of i) single cell oil production (Puri et al., Trends in Biotechnology 2021 and covered by 9 News, ABC Radio and Naturenews) and ii) enzyme-based technology for food bioactive extraction, a technology which is safe and improves product yield. 

At the Riddet Institute, his mission is to innovate, develop, and deliver sustainable, nutritious foods that will shape the future of the global food industry. He is committed to transforming the future of food through cellular agriculture and making a positive impact on the planet.