Antien Zuidberg, HAS University of Applied Sciences lecturer and coordinator of the Food Innovation study programme, has been appointed Professor for the new Design Methods in Food Chair from 1 March 2018. The Chair focusses on research into design methods that ensure that more food innovations successfully reach the market. The percentage of successful innovations is currently too low. The focus is on useful food innovations that encourage consumers towards healthy, sustainable food. The Chair uses as many new technologies and new ingredients as possible, such as 3D food printing and plant-based waste flows.
The objectives of the Chair are as follows:
- To carry out in-depth research into various existing innovation methods in the agrifood sector and the link with the chance of success in the market
- To carry out research into whether the new ‘design-driven innovation’ method has the potential to increase and further develop the chance of success in the market
- To positively encourage people’s behaviour using ‘useful’ innovations, utilising existing knowledge in the Netherlands about nudging and tempting
- To work on innovative projects regarding old versus new methods to establish meaningful innovations for consumers, with a focus on health, sustainability or social aspects, where new technologies and/or ingredients come together
Expertise network
As well as Professor Antien Zuidberg, the Chair also has an expertise network to which lecturers and teaching researchers/designers from the Food Innovation, Food Technology and International Food & Agribusiness and Animal Husbandry study programmes provide an active contribution. The new Chair also works in close collaboration with other Chairs such as AgriFood Marketing, Food and Health, Green Health, Future Food Systems and potentially also with the new Chair in Sustainable Production.
Providing a significant contribution
Antien Zuidberg is looking forward to starting as a professor: “Since I started working with the Food Innovation study programme, my colleagues and I have been building on the Food Innovation Model. The method concerns how we can teach students to develop innovative concepts with and for the consumer. I’m really looking forward to expanding this method further across HAS, as well as researching the effectiveness of this method compared to other methods, and potentially including the development of a radically new innovation method. It will also be a great challenge to work on useful innovations that can provide solutions for the social changes that HAS wants to help address.”
About Antien Zuidberg
Antien Zuidberg has been connected to HAS University of Applied Sciences since 2007. Until 2012, she was lecturer for creative product development and graduation coordinator for the Food Design study programme. Since 2012, she has been a lecturer and coordinator for the Food Innovation study programme. Before that, she worked as a senior product developer at Campina Buttergold, she was R&D manager at Creamy Creation and Cluster Manager Physical Chemistry at DMV International. In 1995, she completed her PhD research at Wageningen University entitled ‘Physics of foam formation on a solid surface in carbonated liquids’. In her spare time, Antien is a mosaic artist.