Overview
Background
Shoufeng Cao is a disrupter and transformational advocate for impactful and real-world solutions, with research expertise in digital tranformation and blockchain-based innovative solutions for businesses, supply chains, industries and communites. His current research focuses on developing and demonstrating the transformative application of blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in the bushfood industry.
Shoufeng obtained his doctoral degree from The University of Queensland (UQ), with his thesis on system-wide data-driven risk analysis and management in global fresh produce value chains for the strategic competition of "value chain to value chain". He started his postdoc research journeys at UQ and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where he completed three digital transformation projects in agri-food supply chains and the industry funded by three industry-led CRCs including the CRC for developing Northern Australia (CRCNA), the Food Agility CRC, and the Future Food Systems CRC, and one ARC Indigenous Disovery Project.
His research areas span from the identification of digital transformation strategies in complex multi-industry and multi-region contexts to the design, implementation, and evaluation of blockchain solutions with end users for industrial transformation and real-world disruptive impacts. His completed projects won two Good Design Australia Awards 2020 and one of them was a runner-up of the 2021 ACS Digital Disruptors Awards in the ICT Research Project of the Year Category.
Availability
- Dr Shoufeng Cao is:
- Not available for supervision
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, The University of Queensland
Research impacts
The data-driven risk analysis and management project funded by the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) was described by the Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) and industry sponsors as “the right project at the right time” to address industry-faced risk and resilience challenges along the export supply chain via risk-related data and information communication and collaborative risk management.
The Digital Transformation for Horticultural Exports from Northern Australia project funded by CRCNA (2018-2020) worked together with Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QDAF), Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (NTDPIR) and Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WADPIRD) and Hort Innovation Australia with evidence-based industry investment and regional development.
The BeefLedger project funded by Food Agility CRC in which I am a key research contributor received two 2020 Good Design Australia Awards in the commercial services category, and the design strategy category for demonstrating tangible benefits of blockchain for the Australian beef industry.
The Smart Trade Hubs project funded by Future Food Systems CRC in which I am an associate investigator, and a key research contributor was a runner-up for the 2022 ACS Digital Disruptors Awards for the ICT Research Project of the Year Category.
Works
Search Professor Shoufeng Cao’s works on UQ eSpace
2025
Journal Article
Towards a dual-level supply chain intelligence framework for the Australian horticultural sector: a multi-method qualitative study
Cao, Shoufeng and Hine, Damian (2025). Towards a dual-level supply chain intelligence framework for the Australian horticultural sector: a multi-method qualitative study. Supply Chain Forum, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/16258312.2025.2579496
2025
Journal Article
Integrating the REA model and multisig architecture for blockchain-based supply chain traceability: An organisational-technical approach
Cao, Shoufeng, Miller, Thomas, Foth, Marcus and Powell, Warwick (2025). Integrating the REA model and multisig architecture for blockchain-based supply chain traceability: An organisational-technical approach. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 219 124297, 124297-219. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124297
2025
Conference Publication
Blockchain commons for autonomous digital custodianship: designing a dual NFT infrastructure for Indigenous food sovereignty and collective benefit
Cao, Shoufeng and Bryceson, Kim (2025). Blockchain commons for autonomous digital custodianship: designing a dual NFT infrastructure for Indigenous food sovereignty and collective benefit. 2025 eResearch Australasia Conference, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 20-24 October 2025.
2025
Conference Publication
A collaborative data network for the Asia Oceania region enabled by emerging technologies to foster innovation in a secure and open environment
Spech, Alison, Bryceson, Kim, O'Brien, Margaret, Waycott, Michelle, Correa, Pedro, Cao, Shoufeng and Guru, Siddeswara (2025). A collaborative data network for the Asia Oceania region enabled by emerging technologies to foster innovation in a secure and open environment. SciDataCon 2025, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 13 - 16 October 2025.
2025
Journal Article
Omnichannel and product quality attributes in food e-retail: a choice experiment on consumer purchases of Australian beef in China
Hou, Yaochen, Cao, Shoufeng, Bryceson, Kim, Currey, Phillip and Yaseen, Asif (2025). Omnichannel and product quality attributes in food e-retail: a choice experiment on consumer purchases of Australian beef in China. Foods, 14 (10) 1813, 1-19. doi: 10.3390/foods14101813
2025
Journal Article
Proofs of Information Symmetry for Meeting of the Minds in E-Commerce Transactions
Miller, Thomas, Boyen, Xavier, Cao, Shoufeng, Foth, Marcus and Powell, Warwick (2025). Proofs of Information Symmetry for Meeting of the Minds in E-Commerce Transactions. Distributed Ledger Technologies: Research and Practice. doi: 10.1145/3731682
2025
Other Outputs
The Rise of AI-powered Digital Economy
Cao, Shoufeng (2025, 03 31). The Rise of AI-powered Digital Economy TI Observer 1-5.
2025
Book
Blockchain for good: the transformative impacts on industry, community and the planet
Shoufeng Cao and Marcus Foth eds. (2025). Blockchain for good: the transformative impacts on industry, community and the planet. Boca Raton, FL, United States: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003456346
2025
Book Chapter
Blockchain applications for carbon trading – an overview of current developments in China
Hao, Yijia, Cao, Shoufeng and Xia, Yong (2025). Blockchain applications for carbon trading – an overview of current developments in China. Blockchain for good: the transformative impacts on industry, community and the planet. (pp. 206-222) edited by Shoufeng Cao and Marcus Foth. Boca Raton, FL, United States: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003456346-12
2025
Journal Article
A collaborative data network for the Asia Oceania region enabled by emerging technologies to foster innovation in a secure and open environment
Specht, Alison, Bryceson, Kim, Cao, Shoufeng, O’Brien, Margaret, Guru, S. M., Correa, Pedro Pizzigatti and Waycott, Michelle (2025). A collaborative data network for the Asia Oceania region enabled by emerging technologies to foster innovation in a secure and open environment. Data Science Journal, 24 1, 1-15. doi: 10.5334/dsj-2025-001
2025
Journal Article
Preface
Cao, Shoufeng and Foth, Marcus (2025). Preface. Blockchain for Good: The Transformative Impacts on Industry, Community and the Planet, v-xi.
2024
Journal Article
Short videos on Douyin: An intermediary approach to connect Australian food producers with Chinese consumers
McQueenie, Jock, Foth, Marcus, Cao, Shoufeng, Hearn, Greg, Anastasiu, Irina and Powell, Warwick (2024). Short videos on Douyin: An intermediary approach to connect Australian food producers with Chinese consumers. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 10 101148, 101148. doi: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101148
2023
Journal Article
Blockchain Traceability for Sustainability Communication in Food Supply Chains: An Architectural Framework, Design Pathway and Considerations
Cao, Shoufeng, Xu, Henry and Bryceson, Kim P. (2023). Blockchain Traceability for Sustainability Communication in Food Supply Chains: An Architectural Framework, Design Pathway and Considerations. Sustainability, 15 (18) 13486, 1-21. doi: 10.3390/su151813486
2023
Journal Article
Trade in the digital age: agreements to mitigate fragmentation
Deane, Felicity, Woolmer, Emily, Cao, Shoufeng and Tranter, Kieran (2023). Trade in the digital age: agreements to mitigate fragmentation. Asian Journal of International Law, 14 (1), 1-26. doi: 10.1017/s204425132300036x
2023
Journal Article
An asset-backed decentralised finance instrument for food supply chains – A case study from the livestock export industry
Miller, Thomas, Cao, Shoufeng, Foth, Marcus, Boyen, Xavier and Powell, Warwick (2023). An asset-backed decentralised finance instrument for food supply chains – A case study from the livestock export industry. Computers in Industry, 147 103863, 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.compind.2023.103863
2023
Journal Article
Exploring blockchain-based traceability for food supply chain sustainability: towards a better way of sustainability communication with consumers
Cao, Shoufeng, Johnson, Hope and Tulloch, Ayesha (2023). Exploring blockchain-based traceability for food supply chain sustainability: towards a better way of sustainability communication with consumers. Procedia Computer Science, 217, 1437-1445. doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2022.12.342
2023
Conference Publication
How can the Indigenous bushfood industry benefit from distributed ledger technology? – emerging application potentials and considerations
Cao, Shoufeng (2023). How can the Indigenous bushfood industry benefit from distributed ledger technology? – emerging application potentials and considerations. 6th Symposium on Distributed Ledger Technology 2022, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 22 November 2022. Rochester, NY, United States: SSRN. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.4494908
2023
Book Chapter
Revisiting trust in supply chains: How does blockchain redefine trust?
Powell, Warwick, Cao, Shoufeng, Foth, Marcus, He, Shan, Turner-Morris, Charles and Li, Ming (2023). Revisiting trust in supply chains: How does blockchain redefine trust?. Blockchain driven supply chains and enterprise information systems. (pp. 21-42) edited by Abdelaziz Bouras, Ibrahim Khalil and Belaid Aouni. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-96154-1_2
2022
Book Chapter
Enabling cross-border trade in the face of regulatory barriers to data flow – the case of the blockchain-based service network
Cao, Shoufeng, Boyen, Xavier, Deane, Felicity, Miller, Thomas and Foth, Marcus (2022). Enabling cross-border trade in the face of regulatory barriers to data flow – the case of the blockchain-based service network. Blockchain for Industry 4.0: Emergence, Challenges, and Opportunities. (pp. 285-303) edited by Anoop V.S., Asharaf S., Justin Goldston and Samson Williams. Boca Raton, FL United States: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003282914-15
2022
Journal Article
A blockchain-based multisignature approach for supply chain governance: a use case from the Australian beef industry
Cao, Shoufeng, Foth, Marcus, Powell, Warwick, Miller, Thomas and Li, Ming (2022). A blockchain-based multisignature approach for supply chain governance: a use case from the Australian beef industry. Blockchain: Research and Applications, 3 (4) 100091, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.bcra.2022.100091
Media
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