A very warm welcome to this 2025 edition of SAIL, our alumni magazine.
At Swansea University, we are proud to build on our legacy as an institution founded by industry and for industry. We support our students to embrace the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation and encourage the development of their ideas – whether through establishing spinouts or engaging closely with industry partners – throughout their studies.
Many of our alumni have found that their passion lies in the hospitality and food and drinks industry we are delighted that this edition of SAIL offers a small taste of their highly creative endeavours.
For example, alumna and Honorary Fellow of Swansea University Joelle Drummond is riding high on the success of Drop Bear Beer, an alcohol-free brewery conceptualized and developed by Joelle and her wife.
Languages graduate Ross Clarke combined his love of travel, food and drink and is now a highly successful writer and author of innovative blog The Welsh Kitchen. And Geography alumnus Owen Morgan, drew on his experiences in Europe to pioneer the Forty-Four group of modern Spanish restaurants in south Wales.
We are also proud to support our students to engage with a variety of industry partners throughout their degree programmes. Alumnus Illtud Dunsford worked with the food industry during his Bioscience programme and is currently CEO of Cellular Agriculture which develops bioprocesses for cultivated food production.
As an institution, we undertake a range of diverse research and innovation activities related to the food industry, which shapes our teaching and the professional opportunities which we can offer our students. Our Swansea Nutrition, Appetite and Cognition research group (SNAC) specialises in understanding dietary and nutritional effects on health, mood, cognition, and brain function and investigates the influence of biological, psychological and eating behaviour traits on appetite, food intake and body weight management.
We are also proud to house experts in biotechnology who are helping to transform nutrient-rich waste from the cake-cutting process into bacteria-based products to tackle pollution, along with specialists assisting a Welsh skincare company to raise awareness of hygiene poverty through the production of edible soap.
This magazine is always a fantastic means of celebrating the eclectic career pathways of our alumni , and we hope that you enjoy reading some of their inspiring stories in this edition.
Best wishes,
Professor Paul Boyle
Vice-Chancellor
