Dr. Kanza Aziz Awan is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Central Punjab (UCP), Lahore, Pakistan. With over seven years of academic, research, and administrative experience, she has established herself as an emerging leader in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and human nutrition. She obtained her Ph.D. in Food Technology from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, where she was a merit scholar throughout her studies and a Silver Medalist in B.Sc. (Hons.) Food Science and Technology.
Dr. Awan’s research integrates food biotechnology, precision fermentation, and bioactive compound optimization to enhance the health-promoting potential of indigenous foods. Her studies on Phoenix dactylifera, sea buckthorn, and mulberry have contributed to the growing evidence base for antioxidant and therapeutic food components. Her scholarly record includes multiple publications in high-impact international journals such as Journal of Functional Foods, Food Chemistry: X, and Foods; two authored books, and chapters with CRC Press, Elsevier, and Apple Academic Press. At UCP, she has launched MS and PhD programs in Food Technology, MS in Food Safety and Quality Management, and the BS Human Nutrition and Dietetics program—broadening the academic and research landscape in food and nutritional sciences. She also directs major academia-industry collaborations with PepsiCo, Al-Moiz Industries, Doehler Pakistan, and others under the Center of Food Innovation and Commercialization (COFIC), promoting applied research, student entrepreneurship, and product commercialization.
Dr. Awan has received international certifications from Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan, University of Copenhagen, and BMJ-UCSF in global health, sustainability, and research ethics. She is also a certified Halal Lead Auditor (IFANCA Pakistan) and an AARDO-trained specialist in Sustainable Agriculture.
Her professional memberships include the Pakistan Society of Food Scientists and Technologists (PSFST) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT, USA). She serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Science and Technology – UCP and Member of the Climate Change Research Council. Through her interdisciplinary work linking food innovation, health promotion, and sustainability, Dr. Awan strives to align research and education with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2, 3, and 12)—advancing Pakistan’s progress toward a resilient, nutrition-secure future.
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanza-awan-12b5a7240/
🔗 ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4147-8337
🔗 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=WuIYCcYAAAAJ&hl=en