Meet the PhD students researching a more sustainable food system 

In this article, we highlight the journeys of some of KTH FOOD’s PhD students—their motivations, research projects, and hopes for the future. Get to know the next generation of food researchers who are contributing to a more sustainable, resilient and health-conscious food landscape. 

Yuvarani Masarapu: Connecting the Dots Between Data, Disease, and Digestion 

For many, the path to research is filled with unexpected turns, and Yuvarani Masarapu believes destiny played a key role in guiding her to food research. Originally trained as a computer science engineer, Masarapu moved to Sweden in 2018 to pursue a master's in bioinformatics at Uppsala University. It was through a classmate that she discovered an opportunity in Dr. Stefania Giacomello’s research group at KTH, and everything just clicked. “I met Stefania and the team, and the next week, I was already starting the hiring process at KTH to join the group!”, she comments. 

Now, her PhD work bridges computer science and biology, focusing on two major research areas. One involves investigating neurodegenerative diseases and spaceflight through mouse models, while the other explores the gut microbiome, studying microbial abundances in the mouse gut using spatial meta-transcriptomics technology. “I feel blessed to be part of a team where everyone values each other and works collaboratively, creating opportunities for collective scientific growth,” Masarapu says. 

While her research focuses on health and disease, she also sees the bigger picture: how food and nutrition play a crucial role in well-being. She believes that shifting public perception around food is essential and that academia and industry must work together to drive meaningful change. “KTH FOOD is doing exactly that, and I’m really happy to contribute to these efforts,” she adds. “In the long term, I hope my PhD research will help us better understand gut health and how food can contribute to improved health and well-being in society.” 

Cameron Kennett: Rethinking Urban Food Cycles 

Originally from Chichester, England, Cameron Kennett’s way to KTH FOOD was through a Bachelor's degree, with a major in economics in the Netherlands, which led him to discover ecological economics, a field that brought him to Sweden. Now, he is working on an industrial PhD at KTH in collaboration with IVL, where he is part of the FOCUSE project. 

FOCUSE  explores sustainable food production in cities, aiming to recirculate resources and nutrients from waste streams back into food systems. Through experiments, the team wants to reveal how novel products can be valorised, to derive materials from residual waste flows, and to capture nutrients from streams that would otherwise be wasted. Cameron comments, “We encourage anyone and everyone to pop by the Innovation Lab and see our mini vertical farming unit, where we are experimenting with the light spectrum, ventilation flows, alternative growing media, and so much more.” 

Being part of KTH FOOD allows Cameron to collaborate with like-minded colleagues and inspire sustainable food solutions. He hopes his research will spark further discoveries and contribute to discussions on sustainable food production. He adds, “After all, we humans are so close to food, and we need to become more sustainable when it comes to the production and consumption of it. I believe that with KTH FOOD, we can stimulate important discussions and debates, whilst simultaneously being initiators for inspiring academics to become solution makers within this sector”. 

The FOCUSE project has a long-time horizon, and therefore a lot of the research that is currently being conducted will naturally evolve as more insights are obtained, and Cameron is eager to see where the results will lead. "The research is iterative, and we will always be making new discoveries, which will hopefully inspire further ‘spin-off’ research and academic papers”, he comments.  

Vishal Parekh: A Social Lens on Food Sustainability 

Vishal Parekh moved to Stockholm to study the Master of Science in Sustainable Technology, wanting to contribute to the sustainability transition of society. However, he soon felt that his interest was not in technology, but in the societal aspects of the transition. “Slightly more critical perspectives fascinated me, so I steered my courses in that direction as best I could. I had no intention of doing a PhD, but I heard about a PhD position focusing on sustainable food consumption within the interdisciplinary project Mistra Sustainable Consumption – from niche to mainstream. It had the stated goal of contributing to a societal transition, which I thought suited my interests well”, he explains.  

Parekh is currently in the final phase of his PhD, working in the department for strategic sustainability studies at SEED. “With the research in my thesis, my co-authors and I have explored how we can broaden the view of what sustainable consumption is; from the slightly more conventional perspective of “buying more sustainable products” to include for example using what we have or producing our own food.” The other main focus of his research is on how actors like non-profits and supermarkets can help make Swedish food consumption sustainable. 

He has colleagues both at his KTH department and from his research program, most of whom work at other universities around Sweden. This offers many different scientific perspectives, especially on sustainability. “Speaking of different scientific perspectives, it is very good that researchers from different corners of KTH with an interest in food can exchange perspectives and collaborate. I had no idea how many of us there were before I came into contact with KTH FOOD”, he shares.  

Going forward, Parekh hopes to be able to continue research after his PhD, preferably as a postdoc. He is particularly interested in delving deeper into more-than-human environmental justice and sustainable societies. He is also very interested in researching social movements and how perspectives other than dominant Western ones can be heard through different forms of activism related to sustainability. “Both of these areas are very much connected to food, and I believe that food will continue to be a part of my research in the future”, he finishes. 

The journeys of Yuvarani Masarapu, Cameron Kennett, and Vishal Parekh show how diverse and dynamic the world of food science can be. They share the drive to explore food systems in pursuit of greater sustainability, health, and resilience. As their work continues, they are contributing to insights on how we grow, understand, and consume food — insights that can help build a better food system for both people and the planet. 

Read more about other projects at KTH FOOD here .

Written by: Andrea Kron