The Advisory Council is established under the Nutrition Society’s Articles of Association 55-57, ‘There shall be a body of persons known as the Council whose composition, rules and regulations shall be proscribed by the Trustees from time to time.’
The Advisory Council comprises of elected members, including members of Council, the Board of Trustees, the Secretaries of the Scottish Section, the Irish Section, the Easrly Career Section and the Student Section Chair. Advisory Council members provide advice, critique, ideas and insight for Trustees to help underpin the evidence required to inform the proposals and subsequent decisions of Trustees, in support of the development and delivery of strategy, policy and activity. In addition, Advisory Council members identify future priorities and opportunities under the strategic plan, facilitate communication and access to the membership, stakeholders, external networks and potential partners, and support promotion of Society activities and help raise its profile.
The elected members of the Council are elected for a three year term, they represent Academia, Animal Nutrition, Policy, Clinical and Medical, Industry and Public Health. After their first term Council members may be re-elected for another three year term. However, they cannot serve more than two three year terms concurrently. All members are emailed about any vacancies on the Council ahead of the start of the election process.
Tala is a Registered Associate Nutritionist (AfN) and a PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on the biopsychosocial determinants of weight management and obesity and patient lived experiences..
Tala has been an active member of the Student Section for over three years serving as the International Student Representative. She looks forward to stepping into the role of Chair and further collaborating with the Section and wider Society. She hopes to continue to build a welcoming and collaborative environment that connects nutrition students and supports their development, while strengthening the student community within the Society.
A qualified veterinarian from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and now a professor of veterinary gastrointestinal health at SRUC. Her research work focuses on host-pathogen interactions and sustainable disease control strategies in ruminants, to mitigate production losses, drug resistance, and greenhouse gas emissions. She has coordinated and been a leader in large multidisciplinary projects on novel diagnostics and disease control strategies.
Dr Childs’ BSc (Hons) Nutritional Sciences (1st class) from the University of Southampton was followed by PhD research on “The effect of gender, pregnancy and diet upon tissue fatty acid composition and immune function”. She undertook two postdoctoral nutrition research projects in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, and during this time was named as one of the top three young investigators in Lipids and Nutrition at the International Society for the Study of Fatty acids and Lipids conference.
Dr Childs’ research to date has investigated nutrients including dietary fatty acids, probiotics, and prebiotics. Experimental approaches have included assessment tissue composition, immune function, inflammatory status, immunosenescence, and the gut microbiota. Her scientific reputation has resulted in numerous invitations to speak at both national and international events and conferences.
Dr Childs holds considerable expertise in flow cytometry, and led a working group responsible for the development of flow cytometry facilities at the University of Reading, was appointed as a specialist advisor to the Food Standards Agency on the conduct and interpretation of analytical flow cytometry, and is Deputy academic lead of the Faculty of Medicine flow cytometry facility.
Dr Childs has received both student and peer-nominated teaching awards. Dr Childs received the staff-nominated Faculty of Medicine teaching award (2018), and Shine a Light award for collegiality and quality (2022). Dr Childs has received student-nominated SUSU awards including Faculty of Medicine's most engaging lecturer award (2018) and best pastoral support (2020).
Dr Childs is an academic integrity officer for the Faculty of Medicine. Her external education commitments include posts as external examiner at Liverpool John Moores University and Queen Mary University of London.
Dr Childs has an active role in professional societies, and is a Nutrition Society Ambassador for the University of Southampton, and a South East Regional Representative for the Association for Nutrition. Dr Childs is Associate Editor on the Editorial Board of Nutritional Immunology, a specialty of Frontiers in Immunology and Nutrition, an Editorial Board member of Nutrition Bulletin, and is Chair of the MyNutriWeb journal club.
Dr. Emma Feeney is a Lecturer / Assistant Professor in UCD’s Institute of Food and Health, where she co-ordinates modules in Human eating behaviour, Food Ingredients, and Sensory science, and was recently nominated for a Teaching and Learning Award at UCD in recognition of her teaching practice.
With a background in Genetics, Human Nutrition, and Sensory Science, Emma’s research interests and publications span a range of aspects including sensory evaluation, taste and appetite measurement, nutritional intake assessment, dairy food consumption, sodium reduction, food bioactives, and food structure. She has overseen human intervention studies in a number of clinical and research settings, and has experience in dietary assessment of both children and adults, presenting her research at numerous national and international conferences.
In addition to her teaching and research commitments, Emma is an Associate Editor at BMC Nutrition, and a First Editor at the British Journal of Nutrition.
Dr Alexandra Mavroeidi, is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity for Health. She has worked in the field of nutrition, exercise/sedentary behaviour, and bone health for the past 22 years. She had been involved in several studies looking at the relative contributions of sunlight, diet, and physical activity on vitamin D status in women living in the north of the UK.
She became a state registered dietitian in 2000 and moved to Aberdeen the following year to undertake her MSc in Sports Nutrition. In 2002, she joined the Osteoporosis Research Unit and carried out her PhD looking at the effect of habitual physical activity on the bone mass of older postmenopausal women. She stayed in Aberdeen as a Lecturer in Exercise/Human Physiology at the University of Aberdeen until 2015.
In 2015 she relocated to Glasgow due to family circumstances, where she undertook a 1-year lecturing position with the University of Glasgow as the level 3 BSc (Hons) Physiology co-ordinator. In 2016 she joined the Ageing Well Research Group at the Glasgow Caledonian University as a Research Fellow.
In 2018 she joined the Physical Activity for Health Group at Strathclyde University, as a Senior Lecturer. She is an active member of several professional societies including the Royal Osteoporosis Society, American Society of Bone and Mineral Research and American College of Sports Medicine. She was part of the scientific panels reviewing the vitamin D clinical guidelines on behalf of the Royal Osteoporosis Society (2019), and updated the current CMO’s UK Physical Activity Guidelines for Older Adults (2019). She has been a committee member of the Scottish Section of the Nutrition Society since 2017, and as Secretary since 2022.
In 2023, Alex moved back to Glasgow Caledonian University to assume the role of Head of Department for Occupational Health and Nutrition & Dietetics.
Michelle (BSc (Hons), PhD) is a Professor of Nutrition at the Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast. Her research investigates the ability of dietary interventions to modify nutritional status and risk of chronic disease, particularly diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as exploring novel approaches to encouraging and supporting diet and health behaviour change and weight management throughout the life course. Examples of research activities in these areas include developing and evaluating complex behaviour change interventions in the school-setting; before, during and after pregnancy; and for people with type 2 diabetes. This work encompasses the use of m-health and e-health technology to support behaviour change. Michelle has previously been a member of the Nutrition Society Irish Section Committee and is a Registered Nutritionist (Public Health).
Dr Hilda Mulrooney is a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist. She is currently Reader in Nutrition & Health at London Metropolitan University and Visiting Senior Fellow at Kingston University London. She has worked as a nutritionist and dietitian in the NHS, in primary and secondary care as well as public health (with a particular focus on obesity and weight management in both children and adults). She has extensive experience of working in academia, educating nutritionists and dietitians at under- and postgraduate levels.
Hilda has a strong interest in weight management and has been an active committee member of the BDA Obesity Specialist Group (holding roles as Training Officer, Best Practice Officer and now Ordinary committee member). She is also an active committee member of the European Specialist Dietitians Network (Obesity). Her research interests focus on obesity as well as food insecurity, particularly focusing on the impact of community food support schemes.
Biography to follow
Dr. Oliver Shannon is an early career researcher and lecturer in Human Nutrition & Ageing at Newcastle University. His research explores the impact of healthy dietary patterns and dietary inorganic nitrate on brain and cardiovascular health in older adults. He has published >75 peer-reviewed journal articles, including in field-leading journals such as the British Journal of Nutrition and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. He was the winner of the 2024 Nutrition Society Julie Wallace Award for early-stage scientific excellence in the field of nutrition. Dr. Shannon is passionate about supporting the development and progression of other early career members by faclitating opportunities for collaborations, networking, and skill development.
GROUP HEAD OF HEALTHY & SUSTAINABLE DIETS, SAINSBURY’S LTD
Nilani Sritharan is a Registered Nutritionist with over 20 years’ experience of leading health strategies for the food industry. She has held a variety of roles in nutrition, regulatory and external affairs for Unilever, Nestle and then a cereals Joint Venture, working at a national (UK), regional (Asia/Oceania and EU) and global level.
Since 2018, Nilani has led a team of nutritionists for Sainsbury’s, the UK’s second largest food retailer, with a particular focus on helping everyone to eat better whilst driving for food systems transformation.
Beyond her role at Sainsbury’s, Nilani has been an Independent Advisor for Nesta (an innovation think tank) and a Board Trustee for Greater Change (a charity tackling homelessness through cash-first initiatives). She also regularly mentors mid-career nutritionists and individuals from diverse communities.