Meet Chyngyz Erkinbaev, 2024 Rh Award Winner in the Applied Science category

Chyngyz Erkinbaev is an associate professor in smart technologies for food process engineering in the Department of Biosystems Engineering, develops intelligent sensing techniques to improve food processing efficacy from “farm to fork.” 

 Erkinbaev is the 2024 recipient of the Terry G. Falconer Memorial Rh Institute Foundation Emerging Researcher Award in the Applied Sciences category, in recognition of his research that supports real-time monitoring of food quality and safety using smart sensing technologies. 

 UM Today caught up with Erkinbaev to learn more about him and his research. 

 Tell us a bit about yourself and your research. 

 I am an associate professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering. Prior to my academic position at the University of Manitoba, I worked in several international universities and research centres around the globe. 
 My research broadly focuses on integrating chemico-physical, engineering and digital domains to revolutionize the food processing and agri-food sector. I use advanced spectroscopic and imaging methods coupled with machine learning for rapid and accurate prediction of the quality of various food matrices. I also investigate the mechanisms of complex compositional and microstructural transformations in food while processing.  

 Why is this research important? 
 Food quality and safety control throughout the entire food processing chain play an important role in the modern food industry. Therefore, developing accurate and robust quality control methods can help to reduce food losses, increase processing efficiency and produce high-quality food products.  
 Through my research program, I aim to drive the development and industrial adoption of intelligent sensing technologies for real-time monitoring of food quality. 

 What does the Rh Award mean to you? 

 Receiving the Rh award is an immense honour. This prestigious award is a recognition of my research by peers and an acknowledgment of my research team’s effort. It very much motivates me for new discoveries. I am also thankful for the people who nominated me for the award.     

 What do you hope to achieve in the future? 

 Currently, I am on research and study leave and testing some of the research hypotheses, which bothered me for a while.  

 In the future, I hope to make a significant contribution to the area of my research expertise to tackle the challenges in postharvest food production. I plan to expand my research group and establish international collaborations, representing Canadian research excellence. I also aspire to be a knowledgeable, supportive and inspiring educator. 

 What about you would people find surprising? 

 Being a multi-lingual, I surprise people by starting conversations in their native languages. I’m always ready for their standard question: “How come you speak my language?”  

 Any advice for early career researchers and students? 

 A good mentor can help you save a lot of time and energy—do not hesitate to ask for advice and be able to adapt suggestions for your needs. Stay focused on achieving your short- and long-term goals, prioritize your well-being and spend more time with your family. Stay curious and persistent in your daily life.   

Spenser Smith