Riëtte de Kock is a Professor of Food Science at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She pursues research to optimise the sensory properties of foods that can contribute to the nutrition status and well-being of consumers in sub-Saharan Africa. This includes: understanding the factors that impact consumers’ food choices by the development and application of suitable measurement instruments; food product development to meet the demands of a growing, more urbanised African population; and the exploration of Africa’s bio-diverse food sources to make products not only nutritionally adequate but also appealing and appetising. Riëtte is the Chair of the Africa Network for Sensory Evaluation Research (ANSWER), the Vice-President of the South African Association for Food Science and Technology (SAAFoST), and a past Research Chair of the European Sensory Network. She has extensive experience as a researcher in various European Commission, USAID, and SANBIO-BioFISA collaborative projects. In 2017, she received the South African Department of Science and Technology Distinguished Woman Scientist Award for outstanding contributions to research and innovation leading to socio-economic impact and empowerment of women. She enjoys swimming as both a form of exercise and a means to escape from the noise of the world.