Member Story | Blending a Life Without Borders: A Scientist’s Journey from Pakistan to China to Denmark

Editor's Note

For this issue’s Member Story, we turn our lens to Husnain Raza, a young food scientist currently a postdoc at the University of Copenhagen.

Raza’s academic odyssey began in his native Pakistan, was honed through years of study and work in China, and has since extended across the Eurasian continent to the cool climes of Denmark.

In this cross-continental professional journey, Raza has expanded his research focus from diabetic-friendly food to sustainable dietary solutions. Yet, as he practices these frontier technologies and concepts, he is also engaged in a more personal experiment: seeking and blending the unique flavors of his own life.

Guest’s Profile

Husnain Raza is a food scientist, researcher, and lifelong learner whose journey has taken him from Pakistan to China and now to Denmark. Currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen, he works on developing sustainable and flavour-optimised food solutions using green processing technologies. His academic path began with a deep curiosity about how food can improve human health, especially for people living with metabolic disorders. Over time, that curiosity expanded into a broader interest in how science, culture, and taste intersect in shaping what we eat.

Beyond the laboratory, Husnain is passionate about photography. What started as a long-held dream to own a camera became a parallel journey of observing the world more closely. Through the lens, he documents cities, people, and quiet moments, finding balance and perspective in constant movement across countries and cultures.

From Jiangnan to Denmark: Expanding the Boundaries of Research

In 2014, fresh from the National Institute of Food Science and Technology in Pakistan, Raza secured a Chinese Government Scholarship. His first step onto Chinese soil led him to Wuxi, home to Jiangnan University, a titan in the world of food science.

Wuxi is a historic city renowned for its sweet cuisine, yet Raza arrived to engineer the precise opposite. His doctoral research focused on diabetic dietetics, specifically utilising physical modification technologies to elevate the resistant starch content in chickpeas, a method designed to mitigate post-prandial blood sugar spikes.

Upon graduating in 2019, Raza joined the team of Professor Ma Haile at the Institute of Food Physical Processing at Jiangsu University. Here, he researched further into physical modification via ultrasound technology, work that eventually led to a patent.

“At the time, I used Cigu, the Chinese arrowhead tuber common in the Jiangnan water towns, as my material,” Raza explains. “By modifying its starch with ultrasound, we created a V-type complex with lipids. This denser structure slows digestion further, offering more stable blood glucose levels.”

Two years later, his career went south to Shenzhen University, where he investigated the interaction between polyphenols and rice starch under ultrasonic treatment. Yet, a desire to look beyond the scope of resistant starch began to take hold. 

“I believe young scholars must continuously expand their professional repertoire,” he says. “I had done enough in the field of starch; it was time to do something different to develop new capabilities.” Therefore, when he learned of an opportunity at the University of Copenhagen to optimise the flavor of green foods, he made an immediate decision of application. 

In 2023, after seven years in China, he packed his life once again, heading for Denmark to chart the next phase of his career and life.

Nourishing the Self Through the Viewfinder

In a life composed of cross-cultural migration, how does one mitigate the shock of new environments and maintain an inner peace? For Raza, the answer was found in photography.

“I wanted a camera long before college, but the money simply wasn't there,” Raza recalls. “It wasn’t until I was in China, using savings from my scholarship, that I bought my first camera.” 

It was an entry-level Nikon D3300. Once he began looking through the lens, he was captivated by the world of photography. Over the past twelve years, he has upgraded his equipment and captured roughly 100,000 images.

Grundtvig’s Church, Copenhagen

Captured inside Grundtvig’s Church, one of Copenhagen’s most iconic architectural landmarks, this image focuses on symmetry, light, and repetition. The warm brick arches rise toward a narrow beam of sunlight, creating a sense of depth and quiet reflection. I was fascinated by how structure and simplicity could evoke something almost spiritual. It reminded me that perspective, both in photography and in life, is shaped by how we frame light and space.

Dolomites, Italy

A small village beneath the dramatic peaks of the Dolomites. The contrast between dark clouds and soft green fields captures a quiet balance between tension and calm, a moment of stillness in a changing landscape.

From the energetic marathon crowds to the silence of seaside sunrises, Raza always finds a tranquility behind the shutter that transcends language and culture. Upon arriving in Copenhagen, he joined a local “Photo Walk,” roaming the streets monthly with fellow enthusiasts.

“I cherish this activity,” Raza says. “It allows for a genuine connection with people who share a similar passion, regardless of the country or culture they are from.”

Making the Recipe for an Unbound Life

Currently, Raza’s primary research project at the University of Copenhagen has concluded. While he has secured a postdoc position now, the path to a permanent research position in Denmark remains very hard. Studies suggest that only about 3% of PhD graduates ultimately gain a long-term position in academia.

In this era full of geopolitical fractures and forces majeure, individual destiny can feel insignificantly small, difficult to grasp or control. Yet, Raza remains a believer in human agency: “I can attempt to apply for research funding myself, or look for opportunities in other nations. One must remain open to the world and not draw a prison around oneself. As long as there is a better opportunity, whether it is in a new country or back in China, I am ready to go.”

After all this effort and movement, what is the destination? Raza reveals that his persistence in academia stems from a singular desire: to be a name remembered in his professional field.

“I have dedicated my life to research,” he says. “I want to make good use of the experience and vision I have accumulated over these years to continue doing what I want to do for the next decade or two. No matter how the external situation shifts, my personal goal remains unchanged. And that is enough.”