Overview
Background
Jason Stokes is a Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering and leads the Premium Food and Beverages Program in Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator. This program focuses on industry-driven research to enhance onshore value-adding and business growth opportunities. Jason obtained his BE (Chem) and PhD from University of Melbourne, and was a Researcher with Unilever R&D United Kingdom from 1999-2008, before joining UQ in 2008.
Jason is a recognized expert in the rheology, lubrication, structure and processing of complex fluids and soft materials, including food and beverages. He pioneered the development of rheology and soft contact tribology techniques to provide new insights into oral processing and sensory perception that includes mouthfeel, taste and flavour. His research has uncovered the physical and structural properties driving the complex sensory attributes of a wide variety of food and beverages. These are used by industry to engineer next-generation foods with improved quality and sustainability.
He served in a leadership role as Deputy Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and IT (EAIT), 2020-23, with a specific focus on research training, development and well-being of emerging researchers. He has previously held other senior roles inlcude Acting Associate Dean of Research in Faculty of EAIT and Director of Research in the School of Chemical Engineering.
Some key areas of his research include:
- Rheology, tribology, and interfacial properties of soft matter, food and beverages, including development of methods to uncover relevant material properties of food and beverages driving mouthfeel, texture and flavour. .
- Soft materials and Soft matter such as gels, soft glasses, suspensions, microgels, emulsions and foams, with particular emphasis on using fundamental approaches to uncover structure-property relationships for complex systems.
- Colloids and hydrocolloids such as nanocrystalline cellulose, microgels, polysaccharides, proteins and starches.
- Development of structure-property-processing relationships for rational design of food and beverages, including dairy & plant-based and solids & liquids.
- Aqueous lubrication, transport phenomena and flow of non-Newtonian fluids and their application across various industries (minerals, waste, foods, firefighting fluids, polishing fluids).
Professor Stokes lectures and coordinates teaching modules in the Chemical Engineering degree, with particular strengths in Fluid Mechanics and currently coordinates and lectures both Transport Phenomenon (CHEE4009) and Engineering Placement (ENGG7292) courses.
Availability
- Professor Jason Stokes is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Engineering, University of Melbourne
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne
Research interests
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Premium Food & Beverages (PreFaB) program in Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA)
Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) is supported by government, industry and the Universities (UQ, QUT, UniSQ) to help accelerate innovation, research and development for Australia's food and beverage sector. Prof Stokes leads the PreFAB program to support industry-led research collaborations exploring the complex structures, properties and processing required to develop future food and beverages in Australia. This is bringing globally-recognised researchers and industry together to address the science and engineering challenges of creating sustainable, ethical and consumer-acceptable foods and ingredients in Australia. More information at https://faba.au/programs/premium-food-beverage/
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Rational food structure design, food processing and food oral processing
Projects are closely aligned and sponsored by industry to uncover the mysteries of how food structure and material properties relate to sensory and consumer perception. This includes deconvoluting the physics and materials properties driving sensory percepts during oral processing of liquids (beverages such as wine, milk, tea), semi-fluid foods (such as yogurts, thickened fluids for dysphagia) and solids (such as plant-based meat, snack foods). Current projects include research targeted towards the challenges associated with transforming plant-based meats into consumer acceptable product by uncovering protein functionality and other structural parameters.
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Rheology of soft materials & complex fluids
The rheology of soft materials and complex fluids is important because it helps us understand their behavior, optimize industrial processes, develop advanced materials, and enhance our fundamental scientific knowledge. They are fascinating because they are non-Newtonian (ie..they don't behave as Newton predicted). This knowledge is used in a vast array of applications, including food, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, biomedical applications, hydrometallurgy, waste treatment, and plastics. Particular interests include: - hydrocolloids (polysaccharides, proteins, starches); - colloidal dispersions (minerals, microgels, nanogels, protein-aggregates); - non-colloidal dispersions (microgels, plant cells); and - various structural forms (emulsions, foams, biofluids, foams, soft glasses and gels)
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Food processing, engineering and extrusion
He has broad interests in applying chemical engineering principals to problems in food processing, downstream processing and oral processing. This includes applying the principals in transport phenomenon to oral processing and downstream (separation) processes. He is also driving developments in food-extrusion processing, where he is currently custodian to new lab-scale and pilot-scale extruders, working collaboratively with Professor Peter Halley (UQ) and the Department of Primary Industries in Coopers Plains Health Precinct. This technology is being used to transform a broad range of plant-based ingredients into consumer acceptable food products.
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Aqueous lubrication and soft-tribology
Soft-Tribology is the science of lubrication, friction and wear involving soft surfaces, which includes those in the body (bio-tribology or biolubrication). We aim to redefine the complex fluid-substrate interactions in soft tribological contacts that is beneficial to diverse fields including advanced materials and complex fluids, engineering tribology, biolubrication and food structure design.
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Anisotropic soft materials, nanocellulose (NCC) and ferementation-derived celluloses
The project aims to use nanocrystalline cellulose and charge-directed polymer self-assembly to form a unique liquid crystal glass phase. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) is a colloidal rigid rod, referred to by various terms in the literature including cellulose whisker (CW) and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC). These charged colloidal rods exhibit complex colloidal phase and rheological behaviours in aqueous suspensions, that are dependent on volume fraction and interparticle forces. We are particularly interested in liquid crystal ordering and gelation/glass transition, which allow a solid-like mechanical response at relatively low solids fraction. We discovered existence of an anisotropic soft solid (liquid crystal hydroglass, LCH) with a biphasic structure that providing similar viscoelastic properties to hydrogels but permitted reversible orientation of the colloidal rods in the liquid crystalline phase by shear forces; i.e. their structural ordering is programmable. He also investigated the micromechanical properties of solid-like gel-like materials formed from fermentation derived celluloses (also referred to as bacterial cellulose that is used to make products like Nata de coco dessert and Kombucha tea).
Research impacts
Jason completed his PhD with Professor David Boger AC FRS at the University of Melbourne in 1998 on Swirling Flow of Viscoelastic Fluids. He then worked in industry with Unilever, where he was employed as a Research Scientist (Chemical Engineer / Physicist) in Unilever’s Research & Development Laboratory in the United Kingdom for 10 years (1999-2008). He contributed to development of processing devices for point of sale manufacture of skin creams and began development of new techniques such as rheology and tribology for studying in-use physics including oral processing of food and beverages and application of skin and hair care products.
At UQ, Jason has established substantial partnerships with industry, which has included pioneering totally new measurement techniques and approaches in tribology, rheology and surface sciences to study the physics of food oral processing and sensory science to enable rational food-structure design through advanced understanding on structure-property relationships at multiple length scales. His research is having a substantive impact in gaining a deeper scientific understanding of food oral processing and outputs from his research are used directly by industry to improve the nutritional quality of food and beverages that benefits quality of life and health, and processes that deliver to sustainability and job-creation.
Specific acheivements include:
- His impact and long term partnership with industry was recognised by two UQ Partners in Research Excellence Awards - 2024 (with Fonterra, NZ) and 2014 (with PepsiCo).
- His passion for research training was recognised with a UQ Research Culture Award (2023) for "Supporting Career Development for Researchers (EMCR)" and nationally with a Special Commendation for Industry Engagement in Graduate Research from 2020 Australian Council of Graduate Research Excellence.
- He academic contribution to rheology was recognised by British Society of Rheology Annual Award (2013).
- His contribution to an outstanding academic publication in tribology was regconised by the Capt. Alfred E. Hunt Memorial Award from STLE (2012).
Works
Search Professor Jason Stokes’s works on UQ eSpace
2020
Book Chapter
Food structure development for rheological/tribological performance
Shewan, H. M. and Stokes, J. R. (2020). Food structure development for rheological/tribological performance. Handbook of food structure development. (pp. 175-198) edited by Fotis Spyropoulos, Aris Lazidis and Ian Norton. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Royal Society of Chemistry. doi: 10.1039/9781788016155-00173
2019
Journal Article
Structure and rheology of liquid crystal hydroglass formed in aqueous nanocrystalline cellulose suspensions
Xu, Yuan, Atrens, Aleks and Stokes, Jason R. (2019). Structure and rheology of liquid crystal hydroglass formed in aqueous nanocrystalline cellulose suspensions. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 555, 702-713. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.08.022
2019
Journal Article
A method for developing structure-rheology relationships in comminuted plant-based food and non-ideal soft particle suspensions
Boehm, Michael W., Warren, Frederick J., Baier, Stefan K., Gidley, Michael J. and Stokes, Jason R. (2019). A method for developing structure-rheology relationships in comminuted plant-based food and non-ideal soft particle suspensions. Food Hydrocolloids, 96, 475-480. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2019.05.056
2019
Conference Publication
Revealing the driving components of red wine mouthfeel – Insights from sensory and physical measurements
Wang, Shaoyang, Olarte Mantilla, Sandra, Stokes, Jason, Smith, Paul and Smyth, Heather (2019). Revealing the driving components of red wine mouthfeel – Insights from sensory and physical measurements. TropAg 2019, Brisbane, QLD Australia, November 2019.
2019
Journal Article
Ring Shear Tester as an in-vitro testing tool to study oral processing of comminuted potato chips
Deshmukh, Omkar S., Dhital, Sushil, Olarte Mantilla, Sandra M., Smyth, Heather E., Boehm, Michael W., Baier, Stefan K. and Stokes, Jason R. (2019). Ring Shear Tester as an in-vitro testing tool to study oral processing of comminuted potato chips. Food Research International, 123, 208-216. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.04.037
2019
Journal Article
Lubrication by biomacromolecules: mechanisms and biomimetic strategies
Pradal, Clementine, Yakubov, Gleb E., Williams, Martin A. K., McGuckin, Michael A. and Stokes, Jason R. (2019). Lubrication by biomacromolecules: mechanisms and biomimetic strategies. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 14 (5) 051001, 051001. doi: 10.1088/1748-3190/ab2ac6
2019
Journal Article
Enabling the rational design of low-fat snack foods: insights from in vitro oral processing
Boehm, Michael W., Yakubov, Gleb E., Delwiche, Jeannine F., Stokes, Jason R. and Baier, Stefan K. (2019). Enabling the rational design of low-fat snack foods: insights from in vitro oral processing. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 67 (32) acs.jafc.9b02121, 8725-8734. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b02121
2019
Conference Publication
Understanding wine astringency sub-qualities by tribology: what are the roles of saliva?
Wang, Shaoyang, Olarte Mantilla, Sandra, Stokes, Jason, Smith, Paul and Smyth, Heather (2019). Understanding wine astringency sub-qualities by tribology: what are the roles of saliva?. The 17th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference & Trade Exhibition, Adelaide, SA Australia, July 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
Discerning wine astringency sub-qualities – what is the role of saliva?
Wang, Shaoyang, Smyth, Heather, Olarte Mantilla, Sandra, Stokes, Jason and Smith, Paul (2019). Discerning wine astringency sub-qualities – what is the role of saliva?. 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, July 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
Discerning wine astringency sub-qualities by tribological approaches – what are the roles of saliva?
Wang, Shaoyang, Smyth, Heather, Olarte Mantilla, Sandra, Stokes, Jason and Smith, Paul (2019). Discerning wine astringency sub-qualities by tribological approaches – what are the roles of saliva?. AIFST Convention, Sydney, NSW Australia, July 2019.
2019
Journal Article
Texture and mouthfeel perceptions of a model beverage system containing soluble and insoluble oat bran fibres
Chakraborty, Piyali, Witt, Torsten, Harris, David, Ashton, John, Stokes, Jason R. and Smyth, Heather E. (2019). Texture and mouthfeel perceptions of a model beverage system containing soluble and insoluble oat bran fibres. Food Research International, 120, 62-72. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.01.070
2019
Journal Article
Responsive polysaccharide-grafted surfaces for biotribological applications
Pradal, Clementine, Yakubov, Gleb E., Williams, Martin A.K., McGuckin, Michael A. and Stokes, Jason R. (2019). Responsive polysaccharide-grafted surfaces for biotribological applications. Biotribology, 18 100092, 100092. doi: 10.1016/j.biotri.2019.100092
2019
Journal Article
Tribology and its growing use towards the study of food oral processing and sensory perception
Shewan, Heather M., Pradal, Clementine and Stokes, Jason R. (2019). Tribology and its growing use towards the study of food oral processing and sensory perception. Journal of Texture Studies, 51 (1) jtxs.12452, 7-22. doi: 10.1111/jtxs.12452
2019
Journal Article
The role of saliva in oral processing: reconsidering the breakdown path paradigm
Boehm, Michael W., Yakubov, Gleb E., Stokes, Jason R. and Baier, Stefan K. (2019). The role of saliva in oral processing: reconsidering the breakdown path paradigm. Journal of Texture Studies, 51 (1) jtxs.12411, 67-77. doi: 10.1111/jtxs.12411
2019
Journal Article
Probing adhesion between nanoscale cellulose fibres using AFM lateral force spectroscopy: the effect of hemicelluloses on hydrogen bonding
Dolan, Grace K., Cartwright, Ben, Bonilla, Mauricio R., Gidley, Michael J., Stokes, Jason R. and Yakubov, Gleb E. (2019). Probing adhesion between nanoscale cellulose fibres using AFM lateral force spectroscopy: the effect of hemicelluloses on hydrogen bonding. Carbohydrate Polymers, 208, 97-107. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.12.052
2019
Journal Article
Multi-scale assembly of hydrogels formed by highly branched arabinoxylans from Plantago ovata seed mucilage studied by USANS/SANS and rheology
Yu, Long, Yakubov, Gleb E., Gilbert, Elliot P., Sewell, Kim, van de Meene, Allison M.L. and Stokes, Jason R. (2019). Multi-scale assembly of hydrogels formed by highly branched arabinoxylans from Plantago ovata seed mucilage studied by USANS/SANS and rheology. Carbohydrate Polymers, 207, 333-342. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.11.098
2019
Journal Article
New insights into cooked rice quality by measuring modulus, adhesion and cohesion at the level of an individual rice grain
Yu, L., Witt, T., Rincon Bonilla, M., Turner, M. S., Fitzgerald, M. and Stokes, J. R. (2019). New insights into cooked rice quality by measuring modulus, adhesion and cohesion at the level of an individual rice grain. Journal of Food Engineering, 240, 21-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2018.07.010
2019
Journal Article
Liquid crystal hydroglass formed via phase separation of nanocellulose colloidal rods
Xu, Yuan, Atrens, Aleks D. and Stokes, Jason R. (2019). Liquid crystal hydroglass formed via phase separation of nanocellulose colloidal rods. Soft Matter, 15 (8), 1716-1720. doi: 10.1039/c8sm02288g
2019
Book Chapter
Rheology of food materials: impact on and relevance in food processing
Stokes, Jason R. and Xu, Yuan (2019). Rheology of food materials: impact on and relevance in food processing. Reference module in food science. London, United Kingdom: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-08-100596-5.21076-7
2018
Journal Article
The impact of variable high pressure treatments and/or cooking of rice on bacterial populations after storage using culture-independent analysis
Yu, L., Muralidharan, S., Lee, N. A., Lo, R., Stokes, J. R., Fitzgerald, M. A. and Turner, M. S. (2018). The impact of variable high pressure treatments and/or cooking of rice on bacterial populations after storage using culture-independent analysis. Food Control, 92, 232-239. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.04.027
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Jason Stokes is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Engineering food microstructures
The project aims to address the need for engineering the microstructure in plant-based food products to deliver unique and/or designed mechanical or rheological properties and sensory experiences. Areas of interest include uncovering rational design parameters for controlling the mechanical properties of mixed-biopolymer gels through thermodynamics and extrusion processing. (Updated August 2024)
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Oral processing and transport phenomena
Project seeks to use and develop techniques in rheology, narrow gap rheometry, powder flow physics, saliva-food interactions, and tribology to relate to oral processing, swallowing and digestion. This project will also seek to provide a transport phenomen lens to understanidng the role of rheology, food structure and saliva interactions on texture and flavour delivery (or hindrance). (Updated August 2024)
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Aqueous lubrication
This strategic project aims to develop new principles of aqueousl and viscoelastic lubrication in soft contacts. New insights into friction behaviour arising from complex fluid-substrate interactions are expected to be generated using techniques and interdisciplinary approaches that bridge rheology, tribology and surface science. (Updated August 2024)
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Food and Soft Matter Engineering
Project in the area of Food and Soft Matter Engineering are available with specific details to be discussed with prospective students. The research group has many associations with industry and projects needs to be designed specifically. Our industry partners are international and national companies spaning foods, personal care, and pharmaceuticals. (Updated August 2024)
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Programming anisotropy into soft materials using nanocellulose
This project aims to expand our knowledge on the rheology of Nanocrystalline celluluse (NCC or CNC) suspensions and our discovery of a special Liquid crystal hydroglass (LCH) phase that can be used to create structural anisotropy. This project could enable creation of anisotropic materials with shape-memory and shape-restoring features for the realization of artificial muscles, novel biomedical devices, soft robotics and morphing structures. (Updated August 2024)
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Scholarships and Support for HDR Candidates
The Stokes group financially supports research consumables and equipment access required for projects, as well as research training activities including participation in national and international conferences. Living allowance stipends and tuition fees are usually supported by the Research Training Program via UQ's domestic and international scholarship rounds (see UQ Graduate School www-site), or directly through grant funds or industry partnerships as well as various other avenues including government support from a students home country. Stokes may also support top-up scholarships on a case-by-case basis. Different projects to those listed here can also be designed as long as they fit within the expertise of the group, Interested students should contact Prof Jason Stokes.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Rheology and Structure of High Protein Fermented Dairy Products
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Heather Shewan
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Doctor Philosophy
Rheological and Interfacial Investigation into Defining the Stickiness of Concentrated Particulate Suspensions
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Rational Design and Engineering of Plant-Based Meat Analogues
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Halley, Dr Rebecca Forster
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Doctor Philosophy
Engineering the techno-functional properties of animal fat mimics
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Structuring of plant-based emulsions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Heather Shewan
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Doctor Philosophy
Determining the drivers for colloidal aggregation in plant protein systems for sustainable foods
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Heather Shewan
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Doctor Philosophy
New strategies for improving the texture and acceptance of plant-based foods
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Louw Hoffman, Professor Heather Smyth
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Doctor Philosophy
Plasmonic Nanosensors Embedded in Nanocrystalline Cellulose Hydrogel for the Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species: Towards a Sensing Bandage
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Idriss Blakey
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Viscoelastic Lubrication of Food Emulsions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Heather Shewan
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Processing routes for enhancing the value chain of Indigenous Australian bunya nuts (Araucaria bidwillii)
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Heather Smyth, Dr Heather Shewan
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Polymer Brush Grafted Colloids as Lubricant Additives
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Idriss Blakey
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Rheology and Structure of Aqueous Nanocrystalline Cellulose Suspensions
Principal Advisor
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Mechanistic insights into the texture/mouthfeel perceptions of model beverages
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Heather Smyth
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Structure, Rheology, and Molecular Assemblies of Densely Branched Arabinoxylans from Plantago Ovata Seed Mucilage
Principal Advisor
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Physisorption and lubrication of chemically responsive polyelectrolyte systems
Principal Advisor
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Bio-tribology of Plant Cell Walls: Measuring the interactive forces between cell wall components
Principal Advisor
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Model Structure and Rheology of Weak Gel Suspensions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Tony Howes
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Rheology of Soft Particle Suspensions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mike Gidley
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Sensory and physical effects of ingredient modifications in coffee creamers
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Heather Smyth
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Influence of saliva-dairy protein interaction on oral processing
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Heather Smyth, Dr Heather Shewan
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
A Systematic Approach to Understand Wine Astringency and Mouthfeel
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Heather Smyth
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Development of high-moisture shelf-stable rice snacks
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Turner, Professor Mike Gidley
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2018
Master Philosophy
Tribological Behaviour, Mechanical Properties and Bio-interface Engineering of Bio-inspired Hydrogels
Associate Advisor
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Enhancing the quality of ready-to-eat rice using high pressure processing
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bob Gilbert, Professor Mark Turner
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
THE USE OF RHEOMETRY AND THERMAL GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND COKE STRENGTH MECHANISMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR CONTROLLING AND PREDICTING COKE STRENGTH INDICES
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Karen Steel
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the mechanism of drug delivery from thickened fluids to aid swallowing of medications
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Lisa Nissen, Associate Professor Kathryn Steadman, Dr Julie Cichero
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
CONTRIBUTION OF ANHYDROUS MILK FAT TO ORAL PROCESSING AND SENSORY PERCEPTION OF LIQUID MILKS
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bhesh Bhandari, Associate Professor Sangeeta Prakash
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Insights into rational design of plant based foods to improve management of dysphagia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Halley
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Jason Stokes directly for media enquiries about:
- Emulsions
- food - texture and flavour
- Food and beverage mouthfeel
- Food gels
- Lubrication and Tribology
- mouthfeel - food and beverage
- Rheology
- Soft Materials
- texture and flavour - food
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