Rate My Professor Melissa Hewett

Dr. Melissa Hewett is a Lecturer in Nutrition and Food Sciences in the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, College of Sciences at Adelaide University. She has extensive experience in microbiology teaching and research, having instructed courses at the University of South Australia since 2004. Hewett earned her PhD at the Australian Water Quality Centre, where her thesis employed molecular methods to identify and detect bacteria and amoebae in environmental samples. Previously, she served as a research assistant studying bacteria of oral health significance at the University of Adelaide School of Dentistry. During her postgraduate studies, she worked part-time as a food microbiologist, performing routine microbiological tests on food samples. Her professional expertise encompasses introductory microbiology, food microbiology, food safety and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), sensory analysis of foods, and molecular microbiology.

Hewett's research focuses on food microbiology and related clinical applications, including the evaluation of neutropenic diets for cancer patients. She is eligible to co-supervise Masters and PhD students and currently acts as co-supervisor for Mrs. Naomi Siderius's Doctor of Philosophy research on risk factors in the development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in residential aged care facilities, which began in 2019. Key publications include 'Neutropenic diet and its impacts on clinical, nutritional, and lifestyle outcomes for people with cancer: a scoping review' co-authored with T. Gulliver, P. Konstantopoulos, L. Tran, and E. Mantzioris, published in the Journal of Nutritional Science in 2024. She also contributed to 'Clinical Use and Application of Neutropenic Diets for Patients With Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Dietitians in Australian Hospitals,' published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics in 2026. Hewett teaches several courses, such as BIOL 2051 Microbiology, FOSC 3018 Food Microbiology and Quality Assurance, FOSC 2006 Food Safety and Regulation, FOSC 2004 Sensory and Consumer Evaluation of Foods, and FOSC 3009 Product Development and Food Analysis.