Matthew Hopcraft
Matthew Hopcraft | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Dentist, academic, television chef |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Known for | MasterChef Australia contestant, public health advocacy |
Matthew Scott Hopcraft (born 1971) is an Australian professional known for his work as a dentist, academic in public health, and television chef.
Early life
Raised in rural Victoria, Hopcraft completed his secondary education at Mooroopna Secondary College. He earned a Bachelor of Dental Science, Master of Dental Science, and a Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne, in addition to obtaining a Bachelor of Arts from Deakin University.
Career
Following his studies, Hopcraft served as a Dental Officer within the Australian Army and gained experience working across both public sector and private dental clinics.
He held the position of Director of Assessments and Examinations at the Australian Dental Council and currently holds an Honorary Clinical Associate Professorship at the Melbourne Dental School of The University of Melbourne. Between 2005 and 2016, he was a member of the Victorian branch council of the Australian Dental Association, including a term as President in 2011, and also spent two years as a federal councillor. Presently, he co-leads Sugar-free Smiles, an organisation focused on raising awareness about sugar’s effects on health and advocating for taxation on sugar-sweetened drinks.
Hopcraft is regularly quoted by media outlets concerning dental health matters. He serves as Associate Professor in Professional Practice at Melbourne Dental School and previously acted as CEO of the Australian Dental Association’s Victorian Branch.
MasterChef
In 2015, Hopcraft competed among the Top 24 contestants on the reality cooking series MasterChef Australia, finishing in sixth place after his elimination on 16 July 2015. Capitalising on this exposure, he released a cookbook titled Food to Feed the Family (ISBN 136420018X) in June 2017.
He returned in 2025 to participate in MasterChef Australia series 17, which featured 24 former contestants, where he was eliminated on 18 May, placing twentieth.
Awards
- 2004 – Colonel MGT Kenny Award recognizing outstanding service to the Royal Australian Army Dental Corps
- 2010 – IADR Geriatric Oral Research Award in the Post-doctoral Category
Publications
Since 2003, Hopcraft has contributed extensively to academic literature. His scholarly works and presentations can be found on the University of Melbourne’s expert database.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Living people
- Australian dentists
- Australian television chefs
- MasterChef Australia contestants
- 1971 births
- Deakin University alumni
- University of Melbourne alumni
- Academic staff of the University of Melbourne
- Australian Army officers
- Military personnel from Victoria (state)
- 20th-century Australian military personnel