Julia Blackford

Julia is a food scientist with 20+ years experience in food tech and product development.

In the last 10 years she has focused on research and development of plant based alternative products and sustainability impacts within food design.

Alongside this, Julia has specialised in food resilience and food systems sustainability, and how these relate to our growing climate, carbon and energy challenges.

Julia a volunteer lead in the Arthur’s Point Community Orchard, a volunteer with the Queenstown Primary Garden to Table initiative, and was a Trustee for Wao Aotearoa from 2022 to 2025.

Alongside QPS students, Julia will be speaking at the Future Food Citizens at the Food Resilience Day at Wao Summit 2026.

She also spoke at the Future Food Systems Masterclass at the Wao Summit 2024.