'Breaking walls' to foster food security

On 11 February, we commemorate the external page International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This year, to mark this day, we turn our spotlight to one of the SEC's talented researchers, Dr Iris Haberkorn.

Dr Haberkorn was recently selected for the external page Falling Walls Female Science Talents Intensive Track programme. She is among just 20 other participants who will be supported and guided by the Falling Walls Foundation in Germany to ‘increase the visibility of their research and help them achieve a personal career breakthrough within one year’.

Closer to home, Dr Haberkorn is also the project leader for the Urban Microalgae-Based Protein Production project. This multi-agency and university project brings together experts from ETH Zurich, including its World Food Systems Centre, the Department of Food Science and Technology at the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation at the Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), SEC and food production and ingredient processing companies.

Based in Singapore, the three-year research project is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF) under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme. The project will support Singapore’s 30 by 2030 initiative and its move towards more sustainable food systems in an urban context and greater food security.

As she works to set up her lab in the SEC, we catch up with her to find out what drives her and what vision she has for her scientific work.

What is your vision for the work that you do?

I am a food scientist by passion. My vision is to leverage food system sustainability through technological innovation and novel raw materials, by relying on single-cell value-chains to ensure resilient, climate-smart food systems that sustain a growing population.

Currently, food systems account for more than 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. They exceed our planetary boundaries, while two billion people show nutritional deficiencies, and 800 million people suffer from hunger. If we continue our business as usual, we won’t be able to sustain a growing population. This situation is unacceptable.

This is the impetus for the work I do. We need to foster change to ensure global food security! For both present needs and for future generations.


How has your experience in ETH Zurich help you in being the project leader of SEC’s Microalgae project?

Focusing on alternative proteins from microalgae, my research focuses on perpetuating their economic viability through process innovation to deliver nutritionally rich, sustainable plant-based solutions to leverage food security. However, driving large-scale impact and achieving real breakthroughs requires breaking new ground.

Therefore, we initiated, conceived, and won a new, state-of-the art project that I am now leading at SEC in Singapore. This holistic concept aims to establish resilient food systems by urban protein production harnessing single-cell value-chains. This high impact project acts at the forefront of future food system development and is supported by leading industry players, academia, and governmental institutions.

If the purpose of science is to ultimately benefit society, then we echo this purpose by aiming to deliver nutritionally rich, affordable products, with high consumer acceptance, which will sustain a growing population and maintain planetary health.


What do you hope to do with the Falling Walls Female Science Talent nomination?

Falling Walls and especially the Intensive Track programme is the ideal framework to aid me in breaking walls. It allows to affect large-scale impact by leveraging the foundation’s top-notch audience and an exceptional global network. It will create the visibility needed to create impact, while I will be able to grow myself into my leadership role by learning from outstanding role models. Let’s break walls to sustain a growing population by climate-smart food systems!