Client Contacts
Client Contacts
Project Leaders:
Udaya Wanasundara, Ph.D., CFS
Principal Scientist, Lipids and Co-Products
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2819 email
Dr. Wanasundara specializes in the area of fats and oils. His expertise covers a wide range of areas including extraction, isolation and purification of lipids and associated components from oilseeds and other biomass (algae and yeast) for food and non-food use, process development for edible and industrial oils, etc. He also has extensive expertise in supercritical extraction, processing and stabilization against oxidation of omega-3 oils. His specialization in lipid chemistry and bioactive compounds enables him to execute projects related to ingredient development for nutraceuticals and functional foods, as well as lipid by-product utilization, concentration of fatty acids, chemical and enzymatic esterification, structural modification of lipids. He also specializes in the area of bio-fuels and bio-fuels co-product utilization.
Dr. Wanasundara obtained his B.Sc. (Agriculture) in 1986 from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, M.Sc., (Food Science) in 1993 from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, and Ph.D. (Food Science) in 1997 also from Memorial University. Prior to joining POS in 1999 he carried out his post-doctoral work at Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland. Dr. Wanasundara is a recipient of the AOCS Honored Student Award (1996) in recognition of outstanding preparation for a career in the field of fats and oils, including research, academic course work, publications and personal experience.
Dr. Wanasundara is a professional member of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technologies (CIFST), Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and American Chemical Society. Currently, he serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Food Lipids and as a reviewer for the Journal of American Oil Chemists’ Society. He recently earned the designation of Certified Food Scientist (CFS) from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). He is one of the first food scientists to have received this designation.
Nelson Q. Tang, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist, Proteins and Plant Extracts
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2802 email
Dr. Tang specializes in proteins and extraction and purification of bio-active components. This expertise covers a wide range of areas including 1) extraction, isolation and purification of proteins from soy-bean, corn, canola and whey 2) oil and fat processing from oil-bearing seeds, butter and biomass 3) extraction and purification of bioactive compounds from plants for nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications and 4) cereal processing including corn wet-milling and starch processing.
Dr. Tang obtained a B.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering from the South China University of Technology in Guang-Zhou China. His Master's and Ph.D. degrees were earned from Massey University in New Zealand.
Prior to joining POS in 1995, Dr. Tang was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Saskatchewan. He also worked with the New Zealand Dairy Industry studying dairy protein and protein functionality. In China, he worked for four years as a processing engineer in a large sugar extraction and refining plant that produced commercial sugar products from sugarcane.
Dr. Tang is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists(IFT).
Nick Boguski, B.Sc.
Senior Scientist
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2835 email
Nick Boguski brings industrial based expertise to POS in the area of oils and oilseeds research and development. He specializes in the expelling and extraction of a wide variety of oilseeds, and in the refining, degumming, bleaching, interesterification and deodorization of edible oils. Nick's experience covers a broad array of oils-related projects including marine and other edible specialty oils. His clients have come from industries such as nutraceuticals, cosmetics, foods, and biotechnology.
Nick obtained a Biochemical Technology diploma from Winnipeg's Red River Community College in 1976, and then earned his B.Sc. degree from the University of Manitoba in 1989. Prior to joining POS in 1990, Nick worked for Canamera Foods, gaining valuable expertise in the expelling and extraction of canola.
Nick holds a membership in the Canadian Section of the American Oil Chemists Society (CAOCS), where he currently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer. He is also the company contact for POS's corporate membership in the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS).
Nienke Lindeboom, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2825 email
Dr. Lindeboom has broad expertise in the production and characterization of proteins, bioactives and polysaccharides, including starches and soluble/non-soluble fibres, to be used in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, feed and industrial applications. Within POS she is responsible for the development of new laboratory and pilot scale processes within these and other areas.
Dr. Lindeboom obtained an M.Sc. in Food Technology and Business from Wageningen University in The Netherlands. She received her Ph.D. in Applied Microbiology and Food Science from the University of Saskatchewan, studying the processing of novel crops and their complete utilization.
Prior to joining POS, Dr Lindeboom worked in universities, government and industry.
Anusha Samaranayaka, Ph.D.
Scientist
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2836 email
Dr. Samaranayaka specializes in extraction and characterization of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, proteins and bioactive peptides from fruits, nuts, oilseeds, cereals,and other biomass for various food, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical applications. Her expertise also extends to the area of food flavors, lipids and natural antioxidants, as well as ingredient functionality and product development. Technologies utilized by Dr. Samaranayaka include solvent extraction and partitioning, chemical and enzyme assisted processing, ultrafiltration and chromatographic techniques, supercritical fluid extraction, and various drying techniques.
Dr. Samaranayaka obtained her B.Sc. (Chemistry) in 1999 from the University of Sri Jayewadrenepura, Sri Lanka, M.Sc. (Food Science) in 2003 from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and Ph.D. (Food Science) in 2010 from the University of British Columbia, Canada. Before starting her Ph.D. studies, she worked as a researcher at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. Prior to joining POS in 2012, Dr. Samaranayaka carried out her postdoctoral work at the University of British Columbia and at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Samaranayaka serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Functional Foods and the Food Chemistry journal. She is a member of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST) and the International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (ISNFF).
Thushan Withana-Gamage, M.Sc. (Ph.D. Candidate)
Scientist
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2848 email
Thushan Withana-Gamage specializes in extraction, purification, and characterization of lipids and proteins from legumes, oilseeds and various sources of biomass. His work is focussed on the development of lab scale model process systems and pilot plant production of prototype sample products. Thushan’s analytical expertise includes various spectroscopic, microscopic, and rheological techniques as well as bioinformatics and modeling for structural elucidation of molecules.
Thushan obtained a B.Sc. degree in Chemistry (2004) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, and an M.Sc. degree in Food Science (2008) from the University of Saskatchewan. He continued his studies at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the University of Saskatchewan and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Food and Bioproduct Sciences. Thushan’s doctoral work examined the biological, structural, and physicochemical properties of Cruciferae (canola and Arabidopsis) oilseed proteins. During his PhD program, Thushan was awarded the Dr. Roger Rimmer (SaskCanola), C. Paul W. & Mariaanne M. Ziehike, and John Blake awards for academic excellence. He is a member of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
Shuanghui Liu, M.Sc.
Research Associate
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2872 email
Shuanghui Liu specializes in extraction, fractionation and purification of lipids and other bioactive compounds from various sources. Her expertise also includes proteins extraction, isolation, functionality assessments and modification. Products developed using these processes can be used as ingredients for foods, nutraceuticals, feeds, as well as industrial applications.
Shuanghui obtained her B. Sc. in Food Science from the University of Saskatchewan in 2007. Later, she carried on her studies specializing in the utilization of plant protein, and received her M.Sc. in 2009. During her graduate studies, she focused on the formulation of plant-based flax oil microcapsules which can be used as functional ingredients and incorporated into different food products.
Engineering Group
Hervé Douce, B.Sc., B.E., P. Eng.
Manager, Engineering Services
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2830. email
Hervé manages the POS engineering department. He is responsible for process optimization, design of new process lines, and acquisition of equipment.
Hervé's previous experience includes being a project leader at POS, with specialty in oils processing.
Mahesh Sivakumar, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Biosystems Engineer
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2845 email
As Biosystems Engineer, Mahesh focuses on designing systems to monitor plant processes, designing new biological processing systems and identifying product separation technologies. He assists in effective project scheduling, and reviews equipment standard operating procedures.
Mahesh offers specialized expertise in evaporation, spray drying, dry and wet milling, heat and mass transfer, refrigeration and air conditioning, centrifuing, spectroscopy, and spectral imaging.
Tyler Cates, B.Sc., EIT
Process Engineer
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2831 email
As Process Engineer at POS, Tyler focuses on process equipment, new project installation, mass and energy balances, and building renovation projects. His previous experience included serving as POS Maintenance Supervisor; Plant Engineer at a canola processing facility; process troubleshooting; and capital project management and design.
Kevin Harmidy. M.Eng. (E.I.T.)
Process Engineer
Direct Tel. (306) 978-2807 email
As Process Engineer, Kevin Harmidy will focus on continuous improvement of plant processes and systems. By integrating new cleaning tools into existing procedures, Kevin will increase the up-time of equipment and boost overall plant efficiency. He also reviews standard operating procedures and assists with building renovation projects.
Kevin obtained his B.Eng in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Biotechnology in 2009 from McGill University in Montreal. Continuing in academia, Kevin studied the effect of fruit-derived compounds on the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria. He received his M.Eng in 2011 after focusing in on the role these compounds play during gastrointestinal infection. The combination of Engineering and Biotechnology will be a valuable asset in the application of new technologies and ideas to POS.
POS Bio-Sciences is a registered business name of POS Management Corp.