SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS

Dr. Pam Ismail is the Founder and Director of the Plant Protein Innovation Center and a Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota.

A leading expert in protein chemistry, functionality, and ingredient innovation, Dr. Ismail brings three decades of experience bridging the gap between basic research and practical application.

As a “mid-field” player, she strategically links upstream and downstream practices while optimizing plant protein prospects by leveraging their natural strengths.

Through PPIC, Dr. Ismail has built a globally recognized hub that accelerates industry–academic collaboration and advances the next generation of plant proteins across the entire value chain.

Her passion for the field is matched by her dedication to her students, evidenced by her Distinguished Teaching and Outstanding Professor awards.

With 20+ years in the food industry across finished products and ingredients, Jen leads a team of scientists and engineers at Roquette dedicated to customer-centric innovation.

By mastering ingredient functionality at the structural level, her team seamlessly integrates process development, advanced characterization, and application performance — delivering breakthrough innovations that solve complex customer challenges and set new benchmarks for consumer excellence.

Prior to Roquette, Jen served as Ingredient Technology Manager at Glanbia Performance Nutrition and as Principal Protein Scientist at Kraft Foods, where she pioneered protein innovation strategies for global brands.

Luis Enrique Maya Desdier is a Food Technology and Innovation Specialist with more than 19 years of experience in applied research, process scale-up, technology commercialization, and agri-food business development.

Holding a graduate degree in Food Science from the University of Manitoba, Luis has extensive experience supporting innovation across the agri-food sector by connecting industry, academia, and government.

His expertise includes technology assessment, product and process development, commercialization, strategic partnerships, and helping companies adopt new technologies and access funding opportunities to drive growth and competitiveness.

Dr. Marinangeli has a PhD in food and nutrition science and is a registered dietitian. He is a scientist and food industry professional with over 15 years of experience across consumer-packaged goods and the Canadian agriculture sector.

He is experienced in leveraging human nutritional sciences to create new opportunities for differentiation and growth, and is a recognized expert in national and international food regulations and the effects of dietary components on cardiometabolic health.

His expertise includes human nutrition science, regulatory affairs, consumer insights, and equity for developing effective strategies and tactics that support the dietary integration of healthy food options.

Currently, Dr. Marinangeli leads the Centre for Regulatory Research and Innovation at Protein Industries Canada.

His prior roles include senior nutritional and regulatory positions at Pulse Canada and Kellogg Canada.

He has served on numerous advisory committees, including as a member of the Canadian Advisory Committee for ILSI North America and as a Jury Member for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Food Waste Reduction Challenge: Novel Technologies.

He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Canadian Federation of Dietetic Research and the Human Research Ethics Board for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Dr. Adam Franczyk completed his PhD in February 2026 in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba under the supervision of Dr. Rotimi Aluko and the late Dr. James House.

His graduate research focused on evaluating protein quality using in vitro methods, with an emphasis on pulse and plant-based foods, anti-nutritional factors, and protein structure.

He has authored two publications, with three currently under review, co-authored more than twenty additional manuscripts, and delivered fifteen oral and fifteen poster presentations.

He also contributed to a multi-laboratory validation project with the American Oil Chemists’ Society and the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences, evaluating two standardized in vitro protein digestibility methods.

Adam is currently a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Filiz Koksel at the University of Manitoba, where he studies the techno-functional properties of pulse extrudates.

Emily Nickel is the Business Development Manager and Product Development Program Coordinator at the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre (SFIDC).

In her role, she supports entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs in bringing innovative food and ingredient concepts to market by providing guidance on product development pathways, commercialization strategies, funding opportunities, and connections to SFIDC’s technical expertise.

Throughout her career, Emily has focused on agri-food processing and manufacturing, with experience in product development, project management, and commercialization.

Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, she developed a deep appreciation for the agri-food industry and is passionate about supporting innovation, collaboration, and growth within the sector.

Elena is the Industry and Funding Partner Liaison for the Manitoba Centre for Digital Agriculture (MCDA), a role she has held since January 2026 at the University of Winnipeg.

She earned an MSc in Food Science from the University of Manitoba and brings over 20 years of experience spanning innovation, R&D, quality assurance, and marketing across academia, government, and industry.

Elena has collaborated extensively with technical and non-technical teams, working with international partners, funding agencies, and research centres.

Her career includes roles at PepsiCo, Danone, BioChambers, Prairie West Ice Cream, the Food Development Centre in Manitoba, and the Prairie Research Kitchen at Red River College Polytechnic.

Elena has led the development of 20+ new products from inception to launch and has led teams in the development of over 100 food and beverage prototypes.

She is passionate about advancing agri-food innovation through impactful collaboration.

Jillian Einarson serves as Vice President of Policy and Government Relations for the Prairies at Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.

She leads CME’s advocacy across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, working with governments and industry to advance policies that support manufacturing competitiveness, workforce development, and economic growth.

Jillian brings deep experience in public policy and industry-led economic development, with a background in the protein and agri-food sector.

Dr. Jitendra Paliwal is Vice-President, Research and Innovation and Professor of Applied Computer Science at the University of Winnipeg.

An internationally recognized engineer and applied scientist, his work bridges digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, intelligent sensing, and food systems innovation.

Over more than two decades, he has advanced non-invasive imaging and predictive technologies that enhance grain quality, storage safety, and sustainable food production.

Dr. Paliwal has authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications, holds multiple patents, and has led multidisciplinary research collaborations with industry, government, and international partners.

His innovations have contributed to the adoption of widely used technologies in the agri-food sector.

As a senior academic leader, he oversees the university’s research enterprise and serves on several national boards supporting Canada’s research infrastructure and innovation ecosystem.

He is a Fellow of Engineers Canada and the Canadian Society for Bioengineering.

Rob serves as the Associate Dean, Research for the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba.

He is also a professor and canola breeder in the Department of Plant Science, where he and his research team develop new cultivars grown by farmers across Western Canada.

His team focuses on developing high-yielding, disease-resistant cultivars with excellent end-use quality, including oil content, fatty acid profile, protein content, and other protein-related traits.

Specific research goals include improving end-use quality to increase extraction efficiency, while also improving agronomic traits so farmers can grow crops in a more economically and environmentally efficient manner.

His previous roles have included the development of improved dark red kidney bean cultivars in Wisconsin and California, as well as serving as the State Wheat Extension Specialist at Texas A&M University.

Rajeev Koyal is the IDEA START Program Manager at the University of Manitoba.

IDEA START is a high-profile entrepreneurial gateway designed to promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and knowledge mobilization across the University of Manitoba campuses, providing a unified entry point for the university community and beyond.

The IDEA START program enables innovators and entrepreneurs of all interests and skill levels to explore, build, and scale their next project or venture.

Prior to his current role, Rajeev was a startup ecosystem builder and led India’s largest tech incubation program, 10,000 Startups, for the Bangalore region, which accounts for 40% of India’s startup ecosystem.

He has also been an entrepreneur, co-founding three technology startups in the education and hospitality sectors, and has angel invested in three early-stage startups in India.

Rajeev specializes in helping startups scale from zero to one through business development, digital marketing and transformation, fundraising, startup and business ecosystem strategy, innovation, partnerships, community building, and the development of high-performance core teams.

Jolen Galaugher is a research and innovation leader and ecosystem builder who connects people and organizations.

As the Executive Director of Research, Partnerships & Innovation at RRC Polytech, Jolen leads a cross-institutional applied research enterprise, including research centres and programmatic areas of excellence in aerospace and manufacturing, building efficiency, vehicle technologies and energy, food innovation, digital technology transformation and AI, early childhood education, and research-based entrepreneurship.

With a PhD from McMaster University, as well as leadership and management training from Harvard Business School, Jolen brings extensive expertise in research commercialization, industry-partnered research, and applied research.

Jolen has led research innovation and commercialization advisory committees, developed new research innovation funding programs, and created partnership models that support collaboration across sectors.

Jolen promotes the development of high-value and sustainable strategic partnerships in diverse industry sectors to create win-win outcomes.

Jolen has also been a strong advocate for knowledge translation and commercialization of research, both at RRC Polytech and in a previous role as Director of Science Innovation at the Faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba.

With deep roots in entrepreneurship and adult education, Janine Carmicheal has served as the inaugural Faculty Specialist for Entrepreneurship at the University of Manitoba since late 2022.

Prior to joining UM, Janine worked with Red River College Polytechnic and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

At UM, she works with faculty to embed learning about entrepreneurship and innovation into courses and programs.

She is also a regular contributor to co-curricular entrepreneurial learning at UM and beyond, including Falling Walls Lab, the Science 3K Pitch Competition, Sprint to Innovate, and teachingentrepreneurship.org.

In 2023, Janine created Better Together, a co-curricular learning experience designed to build entrepreneurial thinking skills among University of Manitoba staff, students, and faculty.

She was named to the startup and innovation working group of the Digital Education Council in 2026.

Janine holds a Master of Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University, a Certificate in Adult Education from RRC Polytech, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba.

Hubba Khatoon is a foodtech powerhouse, driving innovation and scaling startups across Canada’s Prairies.

With a decade at the intersection of technology and economic growth, she leads CFIN’s 1,000+ Prairies members and forges game-changing partnerships across the food innovation ecosystem.

Armed with credentials from Oxford and a Master’s in Economics, Hubba has helped shape Calgary’s 10-year economic strategy and spearheaded award-winning industry initiatives.

Passionate about next-generation foods, digital transformation, and sustainability, Hubba was named one of The Peak’s 2024 Emerging Leaders.

She is here to challenge norms, push boundaries, and elevate food innovation in Canada and beyond.

Eric Enno Tamm is CEO and Co-Founder of ThisFish Inc., a software and AI company providing traceability and workflow software to the seafood industry.

Based in Vancouver, Eric is recognized as a global leader in seafood traceability and AI for the seafood sector.

In 2025, the BC Tech Association awarded ThisFish Inc. its Industry Innovation Technology Impact Award.

Eric has more than 25 years of experience in commercial fisheries and 15 years of experience in software product management.

He began working on seafood traceability in 2008 while at Ecotrust Canada, the nonprofit organization that co-founded ThisFish Inc.

Eric was born and raised in a commercial fishing family in Canada’s North Pacific. He holds master’s degrees from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Lund University in Sweden.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ocean Outcomes, a nonprofit organization working on fisheries improvement projects around the world.

Greg Potter is the CEO of Profillet, a sustainable seafood company developing plant-based fish alternatives with similar taste, nutrition, and texture to actual whitefish.

Profillet was born out of the founding team’s desire to compete in the XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion competition, which challenged entrants to redesign chicken and fish substitutes with no animal-derived inputs.

The other founders at Profillet include Ricardo Martinez, Laura Hackl, and Steve George.

Greg is also a Consulting Research Scientist at Lipiferm Scientific, a company he created in 2018 to serve as a bridge between industry and research.

Greg has expertise in diverse areas including alternative proteins, cell-based meat, fermentation, including beverage and microbial fermentation, and lipid analysis.

He has contributed to successful funding applications for alternative protein and cellular agriculture research in Canada through organizations including the Good Food Institute, NRC-IRAP, Mitacs, Protein Industries Canada, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, BioEnterprise Canada, the Canadian Food Innovation Network, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and others.

Greg received his Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from Dalhousie University in 2016, where his research focused on developing analytical methods for 3-OH oxylipins in beverage fermentation yeast.

He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from Dalhousie University.