Predrag Sunjka, M.Sc., P.Eng.

Degrees

MSc McGill University, Canada
BEng University of Belgrade, Serbia

Short Bio

Predrag is a dynamic professional whose career has seamlessly blended the worlds of academia and industry. In the first decade of this century, he spent several years with the department, earning his master’s degree, teaching, and TA-ing several courses. Predrag worked for more than 15 years in food, cannabis and medical devices industries, rising up to the position of the Senior Corporate Technical Director. His areas of expertise are regulatory compliance, auditing, quality and safety, technical consulting, process optimization. As of September 2023, Predrag is back with McGill as a Faculty Lecturer.

Awards and Recognitions

• Member of the Technical Committee of the Canadian Food Processors Institute, developing certification courses and programs.
• Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor with the American Society for Quality.
• Certified Six Sigma Green Belt with the American Society for Quality.
• Le fond Québécois de la recherché sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT) bursary, provincial award.
• Agri-Food Travel Grant, awarded by the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of McGill University.
• J.W. McConnell McGill Major Fellowship, awarded by McGill University, three-year award.
• Walter M. Stewart Postgraduate Scholarship in Agriculture awarded by the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Scholarships Committee of McGill University.
• Two Max Binz Fellowships, awarded by Faculty of Graduate Studies & Research of McGill University.
• Three-year recipient of the scholarship granted by Foundation for Development of Young Science and Art Talents, Provincial Department of Education, Serbia

Research Interests

• Microwave-based drying and extraction technologies
• Developing sustainable food production

Courses

• BREE 210. Mechanical Analysis and Design.

  Credits: 3

  Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)

  Terms offered: Fall 2025

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  Description

  Non-concurrent force systems; analysis of simple trusses and multiforce frames; friction, shearing forces and bending moments in beams and frames; centres of gravity.

  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 210.
  • 3 lectures and 2 hours lab or problems per week.

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• BREE 327. Bio-Environmental Engineering.

  Credits: 3

  Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)

  Terms offered: Fall 2025

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  Description

  An introduction to how humans affect the earth's ecosystem and projections for the needs of food, water, air and energy to support the human population. Ecologically-reasonable coping strategies including biofuels, bioprocessing, waste management, and remediation methods.

  • Open to U2 students and above.
  • This course carries an additional course charge for field trips.
  • This course carries an additional course charge of $12.32 to cover transportation costs for field trips which may include a solar installation site and if registrations permit, a bio-ethanol plant. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period

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• BREE 415. Design of Machines and Structural Elements .

  Credits: 3

  Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)

  Terms offered: Fall 2025

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  Description

  Design of shafts, bearings, gears, fasteners, and frames. Material selection and introduction to advanced materials for machine and structural design applications. Stress, strain, and deflection analysis for standard machine and structural elements. Predicting mechanical failure caused by static and variable (fatigue) loads using proper design criteria. Applying fundamental concepts for the analysis and design of machine elements (shafts, gears, and bearings). Integrating the design of individual machine elements into larger systems and applying numerical modeling (finite element method), engineering drawing, and 3D printing for validation and rapid prototyping of designed machine and structural elements.

  • Prerequisite: BREE 210, BREE 216, and BREE 341
  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken BREE 315.
  • 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of problems per week
  • A course fee of $20.60 is to pay for supplies used in fused-deposition modeling (FDM) and Stereoithography (SLA) for 3D printing of structural and machine elements. The fee is associated with the printing materials and accessories used in lab sessions.

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Publications

• Rennie, T.J. and Sunjka, P.S., 2017. Modified atmosphere for storage, transportation, and packaging. Novel Postharvest Treatments of Fresh Produce; Pareek, S., Ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp.433-480.
• Sunjka, P.S., Orsat, V., and G.S.V. Raghavan. 2008. Microwave/Vacuum Drying of Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon). American Journal of Food Technology, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 100-108.
• Geyer, S., Sunjka, P.S. and G.S.V. Raghavan. 2006. Osmotic dehydration and microwave drying of guava fruit, part II: microwave convective and microwave vacuum drying. The West Indian Journal of Engineering, Vol. 28, No.1, pp. 85-90.
• Geyer, S., Sunjka, P.S. and G.S.V. Raghavan. 2005. Osmotic dehydration and microwave drying of guava fruit, part I: optimization of osmotic dehydration parameters. The West Indian Journal of Engineering, Vol. 28, No.2, pp. 41-52.
• Raghavan, G.S.V., Rennie, T.J., Sunjka, P.S., Orsat, V., Phaphuangwittayakul, W. and P. Terdtoon. 2005. Overview of new techniques for drying biological materials with emphasis on energy aspects. Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol. 22, No. 02, pp. 195-201.
• Sunjka, P.S. and G.S.V. Raghavan. 2004. Assessment of pretreatment methods and osmotic dehydration for cranberries. Canadian Biosystems Engineering Journal, Vol. 46. pp. 3.35-3.40.
• Sunjka, P.S., Rennie, T.J., Beaudry, C. and G. S. V. Raghavan. 2004. Microwave-Convective and Microwave-Vacuum Drying of Cranberries: A Comparative Study. Drying Technology. Vol. 22, No. 5, pp. 1217–1231