Dr Aylin Sahin is a lecturer and research in Sustainable Food Systems in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences in UCC, and is committed to excellence in research, fostering the next generation of research talent, developing credible scientific solutions to transform food systems globally, and tackling urgent global challenges within national and global planetary boundaries to meet the UN SDGs and environmental targets. Aylin graduated from Technical University Munich, Germany, with a BSc in Bioprocess Engineering in 2012, and with a MSc in Pharmaceutical Bioprocess Engineering in 2014. She graduated from UCC with a PhD in Food Science in 2019 investigating fermentation techniques to reduce added sugar in bakery products. During her PhD, Aylin received a travel award to disseminate her research finding at the AACC International Annua Meeting – Cereal & Grain 18 in London in 2018. She participated the internal research paper competition in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences in UCC and was awarded with the ‘Best Research Article in Food Science’ in 2019. Aylin has a consistent track-record of driving excellent interdisciplinary sustainability-related research resulting in credible science-based solutions across the food value chain. She is the Founder and PI of the Sustainable Food System Research Group in UCC. Her research priority is on alternative proteins and their role in the diet shift to promote heath and reduce GHGe, and upcycling of by-products from the Agri-Food sector and food processing industry. She is committed to integrating food science and technology with nutrition, health, and environmental concerns.

My teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as industry professionals engaged in continuous professional development. With a strong commitment to academic excellence, I have a proven track record of delivering high-quality teaching, curriculum development, programme development and student mentorship. Annually, I deliver to 26 academic modules across 8 programmes at UCC, including the supervision of final year projects and PG research dissertations.

Programme	Module/Course
First year UG courses	Introduction to Nutrition [NT1001]; Food Technology, Culture and Ethics [FS1005]
Third year UG courses FS, NT, FEM, FS (internat.)	Science and Technology of Food Systems A [FS3010]; Food Toxicology [NT3002]; Scientific Writing, Communication and Professional Skills [NT3012]; Science and Technology of Food Systems B [FS3011]; Macromolecules, Emulsions and Food Structure [FS3014/FS6114]; Methods of Food Processing and Analysis [FS3020/ FS3610]; Professional Skills for Food Scientists [FS3021] & Library project [FS3012]; Work placement [FS3001]
Fourth year UG courses	Emerging Issues in Nutrition [NT4005]; Research Project (10-credit) [NT4006]; Sustainable Food Systems [NT4014]; Convenience and Speciality Foods A [FS4013]; Food Formulation and Design for Nutrition and Health [FS4025]; Team Research and Development Project (10-credit) [FS4002]
Taught PG courses MFST, DT, CPD* (Digital badge), PG Dip*	Advances in Sustainable Food Processing Technologies [FS6103]; Library project in Food Science [FS6101]; Research project [FS6102]; Public Health Nutrition [DT6007]; The Science and Technology of Plant-Based Ingredients for Food Applications [FS6638]; Food Processing Technology [FS1823]; Sustainability in the Dairy Sector [FS6211]; Advances in Food Processing and Structuring [FS6130]
Elective courses	Science in Society [UW0002] & Science in Society for Medicine [UW0092] (also open to the public)

*Courses provided by the Food Industry Training Unit as part of CPD programmes.

 

Additionally, I am the academic programme director of the PG Certificate in Sustainable Food Systems, which is a part time programme for adult continuing education, and will start in AY2026/27.

 

Project title	Research staff and postgraduate students under my supervision	Role
EU funded projects
Giant Leaps - Gap resolutIon in sAfety, NuTritional, alLergenicity and Environmental assessments to promote Alternative Protein utilization and the dietary Shift.	1 PhD student	PI
Sustain-a-Bite - Propelling health and sustainability through innovative food products and processes.	1 PhD student 1 Postdoctoral researcher	PI
MicroSunset - Micronutrients in sustainable and nutritious diet. (MSCA doctorate programme)	1 PhD student	PI
Nationally funded projects
Co-Centre Sustainable Food Systems - Ingredient Functionalisation, Formualtion, Processing. (Funded by Research Ireland)	1 PhD students 1 PhD student (co-supervisor)	FI
GFreeIE - Gluten-free innovation for novel, sustainable food systems: From farm gate to consumer plate. (Funded by DAFM)	1 PhD student (co-supervisor)	PI
TransForm - Thermo-Reversing Advanced Nutritional Structures as Fortification Option in Recipes for Malnutrition. (Funded by DAFM)	1 MSc by Research student	PI
So-Plants - Sarcopenia in the Older post-menopausal Woman - sustainable Plant protein Solutions. (Funded by DAFM)	1 PhD student	PI & Management
Industry funded projects
UPCYCLED - Investigating different processing techniques to create new ingredients from vegetable waste. (Funded by UNIGREEN under EU aid -CAP strategic plan 2023)	1 Research assistant	Lead PI & Coordinator
Mouthfeel - Analytical and sensory characterisation of hop-derived components on the mouthfeel and flavour stability of low or no-alcohol beers. (Funded by BarthHaas UK)	1 PhD student	Lead PI & Coordinator