International student Chris Thomas, from India, is in the first cohort of students to graduate with a MAppSc in Food and Agriculture this weekend. He is pictured at his new place of work -Emersons Brewery - where he is employed as a laboratory technician.
It’s all in the timing, and for international student Chris Thomas that timing couldn’t have been better.
Chris had just completed his Bachelor of Science in Food Technology in Chennai, India in 2022 and was exploring options for further study in the field. Otago’s Department of Food Science was in the process of launching a new Master’s programme which immediately attracted Chris’s attention.
“The programme combined my interests in theoretical aspects of food science with the opportunity to apply it practically through an industry internship,” Chris says.
“And I’ve always been keen to visit New Zealand due to its natural beauty, so that was a real bonus.”
Chris was successful in securing a place in the first cohort of students for the Master of Applied Science in Food and Agriculture in 2024. He received a Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Scholarship worth $10,000 to support his studies, along with an additional $10,000 New Zealand Excellence Award through Education New Zealand.
With the course and financial support organised, in February 2024 Chris boarded a plane in Chennai (with an average February temperature of 32degC) bound for Dunedin (average February temperature of 19degC).
It didn’t take him long to adjust to the change in temperature and climate, and Chris says both the programme and internship went “really well”.
“The studies and relationships with lecturers were great and made up of classroom interactions, collaboration with colleagues and practical laboratories. The approach was personal, engaging and supported critical thinking and self-learning.”
Chris describes his interest in food science as covering the whole process of preparation, manufacture, safety and sensory aspects.
“In my final years of high school I was keen to study about the food life cycle and later during my undergraduate studies with the onset of the pandemic I realised food is an essential commodity.
“It’s a sector that is relevant and essential to the entire world’s population and is the reason I was keen to pursue food science at postgraduate level.”
An internship at local Dunedin business Emerson’s during his studies resulted in the offer of employment for Chris Thomas.
A brewing connection
A module taught by Associate Professor Graham Eyres on ‘fermented beverages and brewing’ in the programme led to a four-month internship for Chris at Emerson’s, a local Dunedin brewing business.
Gaining work experience with Jamie Scrimgeour, Emerson’s Production and Purchasing Planner and Otago food science alumnus, Chris says the internship was a fantastic opportunity to apply the learnings from the programme.
“I could easily understand and relate to the manufacturing and fermentation processes and also the sensory side of brewing,” Chris says.
“Repeating the process several times really instilled in me how it’s done and cemented my understanding of it.”
The relationship established with Emerson’s resulted in Chris being offered permanent employment as a laboratory technician, which he started recently.
Graham says the postgraduate programme is ideal for students looking to retrain and transition into employment in the food and agriculture industries.
“Chris is a great example of someone who successfully completed the programme and has now secured employment,” Graham says.
“We are thrilled he was able to impress Emerson’s so much that his internship has extended into ongoing employment with this iconic local brewery. We wish Chris all the best with his exciting career and future ahead.”
Looking ahead
Reflecting on his whirlwind year of moving countries, study, and work experience, Chris says that “time has gone so fast since I stepped foot in New Zealand”.
Recently Chris returned to Chennai for a short break to reconnect with family and friends, and he’s now looking forward to settling back in Dunedin and gaining valuable work experience.
Chris says the offer of employment at Emerson’s couldn’t have been better as his goal at the end of this studies was to get a job in New Zealand.
“It’s all fallen into place, just perfectly.”
Kōrero by Guy Frederick (Communications Adviser Sciences)