Rania Harastani
Food Manufacturing Engineering PhD
In her third year of her PhD at Loughborough, Rania reflects on her career path so far and why she chose to study at Loughborough.
"In addition to Loughborough University's great reputation, I chose Loughborough because I was offered a project that was tailored to fit my scientific background and strengths. This allowed me to work on areas that are not only personally interesting but also significant to public health.
My project investigated tackling obesity by helping small and medium sized food companies access data on holistic reformulation to create reduced fat/sugar foods. Ultra-processed foods contribute to more than 50% of our daily calorie intakes. As a food technologist, I feel responsible to contribute towards improving the nutritional quality of these foods because obesity rates will continue to grow if we did not take any preventative measurements against it.
Throughout my PhD I was impressed by the supportive and friendly environment, as well as the usefulness of facilities and activities available on the Loughborough University campus.
I look up to all successful women who balance work, family life and their own personal development. The key to being successful in engineering requires confidence, passion for knowledge, commitment, resilience to disappointment and finding solutions to public problems."