Background
Prof. Uri Lesmes is married to Sabrina, the proud father of three children and a scientist dedicated to the responsible development of healthier foods and oral formulations. He joined the Technion in 2010 after holding appointments as lecturer and post-doctoral fellow in the Dept. of food Science at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst and working with Prof. Julian D. McClements and Prof. Eric A. Decker. He gained his degrees from the Technion, his B.Sc. (cum laude) in 2004 and his PhD involving nano-encapsulation of nutrients in starch-based platforms in 2008. In 2005 he was also granted EU funding to investigate the prebiotic effects of thermally produced resistant starch on the human microbiome using colon fermentation systems in the Food Microbial Sciences Unit at the University of Reading (UK).
He serves on the editorial board of Food Biophysics (IF2019=2.387) and Foods (IF2019=4.092) as well as special issues of Current Opinion in Food Science (IF2019=4.577) and Trends in Food Science and Technology (IF2019=11.077). He serves on various scientific panels of research foundations including the British BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council), FWO Flanders Foundation, the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the Swiss National Science Foundation and various national committees. In addition, he is an active member of the INFOGEST network, various professional societies (such as IFST and ISFE) as well as a member of the organizing and/or scientific committees of international conferences, such as the International Conference on Food Digestion (ICFD), the annual meeting of the European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST) and the International Conference in Engineering and Food (ICEF).
Research Interests:
Innovative food Science and technology: Smart food design, in-vitro models of the gastrointestinal tract, food personalization, foodomics, novel food ingredients. Impact of food processing technologies on food’s digestive fate & safety. Development of specialty foods.
Food Chemistry and Biochemistry: Physicochemical basis of digestion and the basis of bio-accessibility and bio-availability of bioactive compounds. Prebiotics and antioxidants and their role in foods. Bioactive edible proteins, lipids and carbohydrates.
Food technology: Development of food-grade delivery systems, Micro- and nano-encapsulation. Food nano-sciences and nano-technology. Rational design and functionalization of food hydrocolloids, structured emulsions and interfaces.
Year | Experience |
---|---|
2008-2010 | Lecturer in Food Processing (FS561) and post-doctoral fellow, Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, MA, USA. |
2007-2008 | Senior teaching assistant, “Laboratory in analysis of foods and biological materials”, Faculty of Biotech. and Food Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. |
2005-2007 | Teaching assistant, “Laboratory in analysis of foods and biological materials” and “Principles of Food Engineering and Biotechnology 3”, Faculty of Biotech. and Food Engineering, Technion –Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. |
2005 | Visiting Scholar, Food Microbial Sciences Unit, Food Biosciences, Reading University,UK. |
Year | Honors and Prizes |
---|---|
2018 | The Technion award for excellence in teaching – top 12% |
2017
2016 |
The Technion award for excellence in teaching – top 4%
The Technion award for excellence in teaching – top 4% |
2014-2015 | The Technion award for excellence in teaching – top 12% |
2013 | The Technion award for excellence in teaching – top 12% |
2012 | The Technion award for excellence in teaching – top 4% |
2008 | Irwin and Joan Jacobs Fellowship, Technion Graduate School, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. |
2007 | Elected as one of the top 16 Food Engineering and Technology PhD students in Europe by The Section on Food of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE) and the European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST). |
2007 | The Russell Berrie Scholarship for excellence in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. |
2006 | Howard and Anne Gottleib Fellowship, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. |
2005 | The George E. Klein Fellowship, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. |
2005 | Excellence scholarship, Food Manufacturers Association of Israel, Israel. |