A professor in bio science and food technology at Belgium's Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, his areas of research interest include thermal food processing and the relationship between enzymes and the taste and colour of food.
University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne said Prof Hendrickx had led a range of food science and technology projects in Europe.
Prof Hendrickx is in for a busy time during his New Zealand visit. He will give public lectures in Dunedin and Auckland, present at the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology Conference in Hamilton, and deliver seminars on food processing and food structuring.
The visiting professorship was instituted by Green Island food company Harraways to mark its 150th anniversary.
Its $100,000 donation will fund a visiting scholar for up to a month each year, for the next five years.
