Ross Campbell
Ross graduated in Chemistry and Business studies in 1978. Since then he has been involved with several companies in business development and research predominantly in food texture. After heading up a Unilever food gums business unit he cofounded CyberColloids in 2002 with 3 Unilever colleagues.
Dr Kevin Philp
Kevin did his PhD on the chemistry of alginate and then worked for seven years on cellulosics R & D focusing mainly on HPMC structure and functionality. This was followed by six years as the development manager for Quest International working mainly on carrageenan factory development and seaweed processing as well as galactomannan stucture function understanding. Kevin Joined CyberColloids in 2002.
Dr Angie Trius
Angie is a doctor in veterinary medicine and obtained a Masters degree in Meat Science at Iowa State University (1994). She worked at Quest International (a Unilever Company) as Meat and Meals technologist in the Food Science and Technology centre (1995-1998). She progressed within Quest and took various challenges as Application Manager Savoury (1998-1999), Hydrocolloids Regional Product group manager (1999-2000) and Global Culinary Marketing manager (2001-2002). She is one of the founders and managers of CyberColloids Ltd.
Dr Sarah Hotchkiss
Sarah has a PhD in Marine Botany from the University of Adelaide (2000) and a research background in the biology, ecology & taxonomy of seaweeds. Since joining CyberColloids in 2006 she has been actively involved in a wide range of projects that have focussed on finding novel or value added uses for seaweed, particularly for health, nutrition and flavour. Sarah is Projects Manager at CyberColloids and the primary contact for the company’s externally funded (EU and National) research projects.
Dr Halimah Baruwa
Halimah joined CyberColloids in 2023. She graduated with an MSc in Food Microbiology in 2015 from University College Cork. Halimah spent time working as a researcher before going on to do a PhD in Food Science and Technology at UCC (awarded in 2024) where her research area focused on the use of seaweed species as fat as salt replacers in meat products. Halimah has a keen interest in sensory science and product reformulation and also has experience in food analysis and product development.
Michael O’Halloran
Michael has a passion for organic and analytical chemistry. He received his Chemistry degree from University College Cork in 2023. During his studies, he carried out specialised research into inorganic pigments, focusing on production techniques and manufacture. He also investigated the potential to use organometallic drugs as antiviral compounds for treating disease. Michael joined the team in 2025.
Dr Thieza Melo Kidney
Thieza is a Clinical Psychologist (2010) with a Masters (2011) and PhD (2016) in Psychobiology from Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, and a Masters in Sports Performance (2020) from University of Limerick. She worked at University College Cork and APC Microbiome (2021-2024) on projects with food supplements and their impact on the reduction of stress effects and improvement on cognition. Thieza joined our team in 2025 and has a special interest in food functionality.