DTU has appointed the internationally renowned Roberto Flore to head up DTU Skylab’s future Foodlab.
DTU Skylab has appointed Roberto Flore as project manager of the future Foodlab, which will open in new premises on 24 September 2018. Roberto Flore is known for his creative and experimental work developing new food products and production methods.
“We are extremely pleased to employ a professional capacity such as Roberto Flore to be at the forefront of an innovative environment that bridges new technology and food. DTU currently has a strong academic environment in the food field at DTU Food, and with the new Foodlab we strengthen student innovation in food technology and create a new environment for collaboration with researchers and companies in the field,” says Mikkel Sørensen, Head of DTU Skylab.
Roberto Flore comes from a position as Head of Culinary Research and Development at the non-profit, open-source organization Nordic Foodlab, which was originally the brainchild of Noma Head Chef René Redzepi and Gastronomic Entrepreneur Claus Meyer, and has been part of the Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen.
Roberto Flore has achieved international recognition for his humanistic approach combined with a deep exploration of culinary techniques from around the world. He is also known as the co-editor of a book about edible insects—‘Edible Insects in Sustainable Food Systems’.
"In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine cited Roberto Flore as one of the 25 innovators who are changing the world"
In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine cited Roberto Flore as one of the 25 innovators who are changing the world, and the ICON magazine refers to him as one of the seven most creative talents from Italy.
Roberto Flore is looking forward to creating an innovative environment where engineering students are given the opportunity to develop technologies and tools for the food industry. DTU Skylab and the new Foodlab are also looking to establish new partnerships with researchers and businesses.
“The new Foodlab becomes an interdisciplinary and dynamic environment which researchers, students, and all the people involved in the field of creativity and food innovation can be part of. We will explore interactions and connections between human food and technologies. A conspicuous amount of our research will be dedicated to address global challenges related to food such as creating more sustainable foods and inventing new ways to extend food durability in order to reduce food waste. By using and designing new technologies we aim to generate new ideas and sustainable solutions able to impact the world of the food industry,” says Roberto Flore.
In addition to being an international hub for innovation within food science, Foodlab will also act as a partner for lecturers at DTU and be a place for chefs who want to have the knowledge and skills to introduce new technology in their kitchens.
“Foodlab is a place where we can make things happen and where we work to create solutions to the practical issues facing food and gastronomy. We are working on prototyping at DTU Skylab—and when we talk about food, cooking is a constant prototyping process,” says Roberto Flore.