Bellata Gold Milling PhD.I Project

Photo spectral properties of Durum flour from the “Golden Durum Triangle of Australia"

Bellata Gold Milling is a farming family-owned business based in Tamworth, Northern NSW.  The family owns and operates a boutique Durum mill boasting state of-the-art equipment, to produce high quality durum semolina and flour.

All durum wheat is sourced from an area known as the “Golden Durum Triangle of Australia”, world renowned for its high-quality durum grain with high protein levels and rich golden colour ideal for pasta manufacture.

A background in pasta manufacturing has given Bellata Gold Milling a competitive advantage in the industry by having first-hand knowledge of what specifications are required to make the perfect pasta. It is due to this in-depth knowledge that Bellata Gold Milling has been able to produce a Fine Semolina not available elsewhere in the market place that is being used throughout Australia and overseas by many of the restaurants and fresh pasta makers.

The Project

Bellata Gold Milling and UNE are to fund a PhD project. The Project will focus on data provenance solutions combined with blockchain technology to develop a novel approach to make data more trustworthy by providing tamper-proof information about the origin and history of grain from an individual farm.

The Project will focus on solutions involving photo spectral properties of flour to get a match on an individual farm and if required, traceability to the “Golden Durum Triangle of Australia” grain. The benefit to industry and to consumers is that fresh pasta packets on the shelf may be scanned to show information such as the factory (and location), date grown, blend of grains by a particular farmer(s), location(s).

Skill Base and Experience

Bellata Gold Milling and UNE are seeking applicants with a strong interest in data collected and provided by IoT devices and other channels for use in a block chain solution to provide provenance. The successful applicant will have experience in block chain and its applications. The successful applicant will have an undergraduate degree with first class honours or demonstrated industry experience in a related discipline. Experience in IoT, data provenance or blockchains, and a sound understanding of agricultural supply chains is essential. Excellent interpersonal, written and oral skills, along with excellent organisational skills are required.

Specific Duties will include, but not limited to:
  • Collection and analysis of a range of relevant data sets;
  • Review of relevant national and international literature;
  • Development of an approach to make data more trustworthy; and
  • Production of interim reports and presentations for the supervisory team, Bellata Gold Milling management and the wider community.
Selection Criteria:
  • Knowledge and experience in IoT;
  • Sound knowledge of data provenance;
  • Sound understanding of agricultural supply chains;
  • Experience with blockchain platforms; and
  • Sound understanding of smart contracts.
The successful candidates will:
  • Collaborate with industry to develop a secure and extensible blockchain-based data provenance framework for the Internet of Things (IoT);
  • Build on knowledge in this area, evaluating data provenance systems; and
  • Ensure that it can be demonstrated that a product is from a particular farm.
Scholarship Information

The University is offering an Research Training Program (RTP) Domestic Scholarship for the successful candidate. This amounts to AU$32,192 per annum, tax free for up to three years and six months to support a full-time PhD candidate. The level of the stipend will not be reduced over the period of the Scholarship. In addition to the stipend, the student will receive AU$10,000 p.a. top up.

We encourage applicants from gender diverse, LGBTQIA+, persons with disabilities, all backgrounds and ethnicities.

How to Apply

To apply for this scholarship, applicants must complete and submit a candidature and scholarship application. All required supporting documentation as mentioned in the application form including the following:

  • Include in your application a cover letter and a CV detailing the reasons for their interest in the project
  • Current Divers License

For more information on submitting a candidature application please see our web page on how to apply/enrol for candidature.