Wee Sim Choo

Assoc Professor

Accepting PhD Students

20072023

Research activity per year

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Personal profile

Biography

Associate Professor Wee Sim Choo completed a Bachelor of Science in Food Studies (2001) majoring in Food Quality Management with a First Class Honours and Master of Science (2004) in the field of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry from the Universiti Putra Malaysia. She then joined the Malaysian Palm Oil Board as a research officer before moving to the University of Otago, New Zealand to complete a Ph.D. in Food Science in 2008. She joined the Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University soon after and then the School of Science, Monash University Malaysia in 2009. In 2013 she obtained a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from Monash University.

Associate Professor Wee Sim Choo has been awarded three PVC’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching (2010-2011) and one PVC Commendation for Excellence in Education - Innovations in Teaching (2020). She also received the Most Popular Supervisor in Monash University Malaysia and Supervisor of the Year of the School of Science awards in 2022 from the Monash University Postgraduate Association (MUPA). She was an Outstanding Nominee for the Best Supervisor of the Year Award in 2018. Her current research interests focus on functional foods which are foods that potentially offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Her work focuses on the extraction and application of bioactive compounds from food sources, phytochemicals, probiotics and prebiotics. She is investigating and pioneering works on various bioactivities of natural-coloured pigments such as betalains and anthocyanins. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for Sustainable Food Processing (specialty section of Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems) and an editorial board member of International Journal of Food Science and Technology.

Research interests

Functional foods, phytochemicals and their bio-activities, natural colourants, probiotics and prebiotics.

Monash teaching commitment

  • FST3810 (Food Bioprocess Technology)
  • FST3820 (Food Preservation)
  • FST3840 (Food Processing)

Community service

  • Invited lecture – “High-Pressure homogenization on the extractability and stability of bioactive pigments”, Valortech ERA Chair Online International Lecture: Biomass Valorization and Bioprocessing Technologies, 4th April 2022.

  • Co-Topic Editor, Phytochemicals in Ornamental Plants: Synthesis, Nutraceutical Prospects, and Applied Focus - Women in Plant Science Series, Frontiers in Plant Science, 2022.
  • Topic Editor, Sustainable Production of Bioactive Pigments, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2020.
  • Invited Lecture - "Betalains: Application as natural colorants and recent findings on their antibiofilm and antiviral activities", Faculte de Pharmacie, Universite Paris Sud, France, 19th November 2019.
  • Invited Lecture - "Betalains: Application as natural colorants and recent findings on their antibiofilm and antiviral activities",  Laboratoire de Chimie Bioorganique, CEA Saclay, France, 25th November 2019.
  • Invited Lecture - "Biocatalysis and biotransformation of bioactive compounds using lipase", Faculte de Pharmacie de Paris, Universite Paris Descartes, France, 28th November 2019.
  • Invited Lecture - "Biocatalysis and biotransformation of bioactive compounds using lipase", French National Museum of Natural History, France, 29th November 2019.
  • Careers in Food Science – Oral Presentation at the Sureworks Education and Further Studies Fair, Midvalley Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 25th March 2018
  • Where to after a food science degree? - Oral Presentation at the Sureworks Education Fair, Midvalley Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 18th March 2017
  • Healthy eating habits - Interactive talk for children from two shelter homes - Agathians Shelter and Yayasan Chow Kit on eating healthy and nutritious food in a fun environment. This is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility strategy of the Royal Bank of Canada in partnership with Monash University Malaysia, Jaya Shopping Mall, Petaling Jaya, 13th December 2015.

Supervision interests

Associate Professor Choo has supervised 1 MSc and 6 PhD students as the main supervisor, and 1 MSc student and 1 PhD student as a co-supervisor to completion. She is currently supervising 2 MSc and 6 PhD students as the main supervisor, and 2 PhD students as a co-supervisor. Besides postgraduate students, she has supervised 21 Honours students as the main supervisor and 3 Honours students as the co-supervisor to completion.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 4 - Quality Education
  • SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
  • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 14 - Life Below Water
  • SDG 15 - Life on Land

Education/Academic qualification

Graduate Certificate in Higher Education , Monash University Malaysia

Food Quality Management , Bachelor Science in Food Studies , Universiti Putra Malaysia (University Putra Malaysia)

Food Chemistry and Biochemistry , Master of Science , Universiti Putra Malaysia (University Putra Malaysia)

Food Science, Ph.D., University of Otago

Research area keywords

  • Functional foods
  • phytochemicals and their bio-activities
  • natural colourants
  • probiotics
  • prebiotics
  • Bioactive compounds in foods

Network

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