Dr Angeline Achariya is a food scientist whose PhD solved an industry problem. She has spent 25 years turning research into commercial impact, from rebuilding Yum! Brands’ supply chain to co-founding the Monash Food Innovation Centre. She serves as a Non-Executive Director and Chair on boards.
City/town: Melbourne
State: VIC
STEMM sectors: Research, Science, Wider STEMM / Other
Open to being contacted about the following volunteer roles: Board positions, Mentoring others, New job opportunities, Speaking at professional events/panels, Speaking at schools
Guiding principle: I believe in endless possibilities. I would rather test, learn and act than wait for certainty, in my work and in my life.
Areas of expertise: Board governance, Food science, Innovation commercialisation, Agrifood supply chains, Research translation
Contact Dr Angeline Achariya
Q&A
Can you describe a moment in your work that completely changed how you think about your discipline?
My PhD was built on an industry problem, not a lab question. That taught me early that research must solve a real problem, with a customer to co-create and test with, and an outcome that reaches beyond the lab into the factory and the supermarket shelf.
When have you taken a risk in your career, and what did you learn from it (regardless of the outcome)?
My biggest career risk was leaving a senior role at Mondelez to co-found the Monash Food Innovation, building the business model before seed funding ran out. Eleven years on it still runs without public funding. That is legacy for the sector.
What’s a small, everyday habit or mindset that has made a big difference in how you approach your work?
My daily habit is a mindset: believing in endless possibility. It keeps me open to what has not been tried yet, and lets me bring the best version of myself to how I choose to contribute and create impact
If you could collaborate with anyone (past or present, in or outside STEMM), who would it be and what would you want to explore together?
For me it is co-creation, not just collaboration: shared vision, shared risk and reward, where one plus one equals three. My passion is building sustainable business models that let strong science and technology solve real problems at scale.
What role does creativity play in your work, and how do you nurture it?
Creativity for me is continuous, not a single burst at the start or end. It means questioning my own assumptions and ways of working first, before I can bring anything creative to the work itself
How do you navigate moments of doubt or failure in high-stakes or highly technical environments?
I treat failure as part of the process, not the end of it. Self-belief and a willingness to give something a go, rather than waiting for perfection, means I test, learn and iterate forward each time, in my work and in my life
What change, big or small, would you most like to see in the culture of STEMM fields over the next decade?
I would like STEMM to stop treating commercial and technical careers as separate tracks. The scientists who understand markets, and the operators who understand science, are the ones who move innovation from lab to market. We need more of both in one career.
