The University of Sheffield
Chemical and Biological Engineering

W. Robert Mitchell

Postgraduate Research Student
Particle Products Group
Tel: +44 (0)114 222 7543
E-mail: robert.mitchell@sheffield.ac.uk
Website: www.linkedin.com/in/wrm38

   

Biography

I graduated from Cornell University in January 2011 with a degree in Food Science (magna cum laude). During my undergraduate degree I worked for four semesters as a research assistant in the Cornell Food Safety Lab and one semester in the Food Bioprocessing Department at the Technische Universität Berlin (Germany). I have also studied abroad at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), and I interned for 15 months at the Nestlé Research Center (Switzerland) and 4 months at the Nestlé Product Technology Center (Ohio, USA).

robm2

I served on the Organization Committee and as website Editor for the 2013 International Granulation Workshop, from 2010-11 I served as the Student Representative for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) International Division and as of 2012 I serve as the website Editor. In 2009-10 I was team captain for the Cornell IFT Product Development Competition, sponsored by Disney Consumer Products, for which we won First Prize at the national competition in Chicago.

Research

In September 2011 I began a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Sheffield in collaboration with Nestlé. My current project is focused on understanding the dispersion behavior of food powders upon reconstitution in a liquid medium. 

Publications / Conference Presentations

Modelling the disintegration and dissolving of water-soluble bulk solids from online particle concentration measurements. W.R. Mitchell, T.O. Althaus, L. Forny G. Niederreiter, S. Palzer, M.J. Hounslow, A.D. Salman. Conference paper and oral presentation at the 10th International Symposium on Agglomeration, Kobe, Japan. 2-4 September 2013.

Characterizing the influence of molecular weight on the rehydration properties of water-soluble polymeric powders. W.R. Mitchell, L. Forny, T.O. Althaus, G. Niederreiter, S. Palzer, M.J. Hounslow, A.D. Salman. Conference paper and oral presentation at the 10th International Symposium on Agglomeration, Kobe, Japan. 2-4 September 2013.

Mapping the limiting regimes of food powder reconstitution in a standard mixing vessel. W.R. Mitchell, L. Forny, T.O. Althaus, G. Niederreiter, S. Palzer, M.J. Hounslow, A.D. Salman. Conference paper and oral presentation at the 6th International Granulation Workshop, Sheffield, United Kingdom. 26-28 June 2013.

Glass transition temperature effects on the breakage and dissolution of single amorphous food particles. W.R. Mitchell, C.I. Haider, B. Onasile, M.J. Hounslow, A.D. Salman. Conference paper and poster presentation at the 6th International Granulation Workshop, Sheffield, United Kingdom. 26-28 June 2013.

The influence of size enlargement on the dispersing behaviour of maltodextrin DE21 in an aqueous medium. W.R. Mitchell, T.O. Althaus, L. Forny, G. Niederreiter S. Palzer, M.J. Hounslow, A.D. Salman. Conference paper and oral presentation at the International Congress on Particle Technology (PARTEC), Nuremberg, Germany. 23-25 April 2013.

Real-time PCR detection of Paenibacillus spp. in raw milk to predict shelf-life performance of pasteurized fluid milk products. M.L. Ranieri, R.A. Ivy, W.R. Mitchell, E. Call, S. Masiello, M. Wiedmann, K.J. Boor. (2012) Applied and Environmental Microbiology (AEM). 78(16):5855-63

Development of a real-time PCR assay for rapid detection of spoilage Paenibacillus spp. in fluid milk. M.L. Ranieri, W.R. Mitchell, R.A. Ivy, N. Martin, M. Wiedmann, K.J. Boor. Presented at: American Dairy Science Association. New Orleans, July 10-14, 2011.

Awards