Professor Heather Smyth is a flavour chemist, sensory scientist and Professorial Research Fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) at The University of Queensland. She also serves as Director of Research for QAAFI, one of Australia’s leading food and agricultural research institutes.

With more than 20 years of experience working across government, academia and industry, Heather specialises in understanding how consumers perceive food and beverages and translating those insights into commercial opportunities. Her expertise spans sensory science, flavour chemistry, product quality, consumer behaviour, provenance and value creation across food supply chains.

Heather leads and collaborates on research programs that help Australian producers, manufacturers and exporters develop products that better meet consumer expectations while improving competitiveness and profitability. Her work has supported industries including horticulture, grains, livestock, seafood, beverages and emerging food sectors. She is particularly passionate about helping industry capture value through quality differentiation, flavour, sustainability and consumer-centred innovation.

A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST), Heather is recognised internationally for her contributions to sensory and consumer science. She has published extensively, supervised the next generation of food scientists, and works closely with industry partners to accelerate the translation of research into real-world impact.

Heather is a strong advocate for Australia’s food and beverage sector and is committed to building a more resilient, sustainable and consumer-focused food system through innovation, collaboration and evidence-based decision-making.