About SIFT

Discover the driving force behind 
WA's food innovation precinct.

The Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre is a collaboration between the WA State Government through the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Future Food Systems CRC, and Murdoch University.  SIFT is a common-use facility, providing a pathway to scale-up food enterprises by reducing the risk and cost involved when significant capital investment is required before commercial scale market testing.  

SIFT supports primary producers, food and beverage businesses, entrepreneurs, and start-ups in scaling-up and mitigating risks associated with business growth. By enabling the development, testing, and commercial production of innovative value- added food and beverage products, SIFT provides access to advanced manufacturing technologies and processes. 

Meet the experts behind SIFT

At the core of SIFT’s mission is a commitment to fostering sustainable growth and innovation within the food and beverage sector.

Our unique collaboration with leading institutions and industry experts provides startups and established businesses with access to comprehensive resources, expert mentoring, and advanced technologies. From concept development to commercialization, SIFT is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs through every step of their journey, ensuring their projects are not just viable but thrive in competitive markets.

David Doepel

Managing Director
David Doepel is the Managing Director of the Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre. With over four decades of experience across industry, academia and government in both Australia and the United States, David brings deep expertise and strategic insight to the role.

Stuart Johnson

With a career deeply rooted in technology in food manufacturing sectors across Australia, Stuart Johnson brings vast experience to the team. Stuart embarked on his food industry journey with Peters Foods Group, at a time when it had diverse operations in Western Australia, including fresh milk (Brownes), bakery goods, frozen vegetables, ice cream, and fresh poultry.

Throughout his career, Stuart has led dynamic teams that have successfully developed and launched over a thousand new products to markets in Australasia and Southeast Asia. His leadership extends beyond product development, having managed significant capital works across a variety of sectors including fruit, vegetable, meat, dairy, and ready-to-eat meals.

Before joining us at SIFT, Stuart held the position of General Manager at Vesco Foods. There, he oversaw a diverse team responsible for innovation, quality assurance, capital engineering, and purchasing. With Stuart now spearheading our facility, we are set to embark on a journey of technological advancement and innovation in food manufacturing.

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Cat McDaid

Food Quality Assurance
Catherine brings extensive experience in quality assurance, driving SIFT’s commitment to excellence and compliance in food technology and innovation.

Catherine McDaid

Catherine McDaid, our esteemed Quality Assurance Manager, brings a wealth of expertise to the table. With a rich background in quality assurance across the food manufacturing landscape of Europe and Australia, Catherine’s journey began at Moy Park, one of Europe’s premier poultry producers. Her career path has seen her make significant contributions to high-growth sectors, including ready-to-eat salads and frozen meals.

Catherine has been at the forefront of guiding quality sensory teams to successfully launch hundreds of new products and quality standards for existing offerings. At the heart of our operations, Catherine's role is pivotal in ensuring our commitment to excellence in food technology and innovation.

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Mark Holycross

Food Engineering
Specializing in engineering and manufacturing, Mark applies his expertise to enhance SIFT's operational efficiency and product innovation capabilities.

Mark Holycross

SIFT’s Food Engineer Mark Holycross, has had a significant career in Engineering and Manufacturing. Mark's journey began during his undergraduate studies, solving problems relating to sub-irrigation, and developing a tunnel sprayer designed to revolutionise care for dwarf orchard fruit trees.

Upon completing his university education, Mark delved into agricultural electrification research, sharing his knowledge and expertise by training the next generation of agricultural engineers. Following this, Mark worked on control and automation projects with the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University.

Mark's return to Australia led him to build factories and design and install production lines for various companies. Before bringing his vast experience to SIFT, Mark served as Senior Project Engineer with Patties Food Group.

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We acknowledge that the Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) centre is situated on the lands of the Whadjuk and Binjareb Noongar people. We pay our respects to their enduring and dynamic culture and the leadership of Noongar elders past and present. The boodjar (country) on which Murdoch University is located has, for thousands of years, been a place of learning. We at SIFT are proud to continue this long tradition. Find out more about our commitment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

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