Bioplastics for Food Packaging

Dr. Mehran Ghasemlou is currently a McKenzie Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Melbourne, Australia, where he collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to develop innovative bioplastic products. Before this appointment, he was a Deakin University Postdoctoral Research

Fellow (DUPRF) at the Centre for Sustainable Bioproducts (CSB), Deakin University, Australia. He worked as a chief scientist at MyEco Group (Melbourne, Australia) for several years, leading research and innovations in bioplastic materials. Dr. Ghasemlou received his PhD in materials science and engineering from RMIT University in 2021. He is currently supervising 8 PhD scholars and has secured thousands of dollars in research grants and industrial support as a principal investigator or coinvestigator. As a top innovator in polymer/material science, he has published nearly 100 scientific research papers, review articles, and book chapters in reputable national and international journals. His work is widely recognized and heavily cited across disciplines and countries, with his publications accumulating >8300 citations to date (as of April 16, 2026). His name has featured for five consecutive years (2021–25) in the World Ranking of Top 2% Scientists in the subject-wise analyses conducted by a team of scientists at Stanford University, United States. The outstanding quality, performance, excellence, significance, and innovative potential of his research have been recognized by many awards and honors, including the 2022 RMIT Higher Degree Research (HDR) Science Award, 2021 RMIT Vice-Chancellor's Research Impact Award, 2021 Publication Prize, 2013 USDA Food Safety Research Fellowship, the 2011 University of Tehran Medal for Excellence in Research Thesis, and 2011 Silver Medal Award for Young Scientists in Applied Research Category. His expertise lies in bio-inspired materials, food packaging, and bioplastic technology, and his work focuses on identifying ideal materials for the development of alternative bio-based packaging methods to help build sustainability in Australia. He also contributes to the development of new methods for biodegradation of a variety of biopolymers and conduct studies in renewable packaging materials. His mission is to leverage science and technology to eliminate litter and divert plastic waste into a renewable resource to support the growth of Australia’s circular economy.

Dr. Shima Jafarzadeh is a research fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Bioproducts (CSB), Deakin University, Australia. Prior to joining Deakin, she worked as a research fellow at Edith Cowan University (ECU), where she contributed to research on bioplastics and sustainable polymer materials. Her work focuses on developing

sustainable bioplastics, thin-film composites, and biopolymeric materials, particularly for environmentally friendly packaging applications. She specializes in converting food waste and biomass into high-performance biodegradable materials, helping to address global challenges related to plastic pollution while supporting the transition toward a circular economy. Dr. Jafarzadeh has received several prestigious awards, with the most recent including the Best Early Career Researcher Award at Deakin University (2025). She is also ranked among the World’s Top 2% Scientists (2024–25) based on citation impact. As of April 2026, she has published more than 75 scholarly outputs, including peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, with over 5800 citations and an h-index of 42. A significant proportion of her publications appear in journals ranked within the top 10% globally, demonstrating the strong quality, visibility, and impact of her research. She has secured ~$1 million in national and international competitive research funding and has supervised more than 10 researchers, including PhD students, master’s students, and research assistants. Through collaboration with industry and international partners, her work aims to develop practical and scalable solutions that transform waste into valuable sustainable materials. She has received awards for her quality publications and served as a guest editor for reputable journals in the field.