Dr Frederic Isingizwe is a data-intensive research specialist with the eResearch Office, DVC Research and Innovation, at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. He appreciates that his academic growth is partly due to the opportunities he encounters and strives to make the best of these whenever they arise. He values the exchange and progress involved in the journey of mentoring younger talents and endeavours to contribute to improving the lives of communities – especially through building capacity and enhancing food security. His research focuses on developing and using sensing devices and applying chemometric methods to determine the quality of fresh agri-food products, which enables efficient grading and sorting of horticultural fresh products. The aim of applying these techniques is improved food quality, nutrition, safety, and availability. His research interests extend to the use of advanced computational and data modelling techniques, including machine learning, to improve postharvest processes, reduce food losses along the agri-food chain, and achieve sustainable food systems. Frederic is a published author, with scientific articles in international high-impact-factor journals and ‘popular science’ media channels. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, music, and the outdoors.