Conferences
venue Ulster University, Coleraine Campus
from to
Organised by:
Catherine Hughes supported by Alison Gallagher, Maeve Kerr and Caomhan Logue

The 2026 Irish Section Conference will consider 'Innovative approaches for optimising nutrition across the lifecycle’ and the programme will include 3 symposia: 

  1. Nutrition across the lifecycle: Foundations for Lifelong Health
  2. Translating Nutrition Research into Policy and Practice
  3. Food systems and sustainability

This meeting is a key annual meeting of the Irish section of the nutrition society and typically attracts 150 delegates including researchers, clinical practitioners, doctoral and postgraduate students from across Ireland and the UK.

Day One

09:00

Registration

09:20

Welcome

09:30

Symposium 1 - Nutrition across the lifecycle: Foundations for Lifelong Health

The importance of vitamin B12 for neuropsychiatric heath and nutrition policy
Speaker to be confirmed

10:10

ECR Presentation speaker to be identified could be in area of first 1000 days, childhood and adolescence, menopause, sustaintable diets across the life course

10:50

Refreshment Break

11.10

Pregnancy, Obesity, and Gestational Diabetes: Current Evidence and Implications for Practice 
Dr Alyson Hill, Ulster University 

11:50

Feeding your epigenetic clock: the link between food and better ageing across the lifecycle 
Prof Paul Shields, University of Glasgow 

12:30

Lunch

13:30

Oral Communication Session One 

15:30

Refreshment Break

16:00

Oral Communication Session Two

17:00

End of Day One

18:30

Evening Social Activity - The event will be ticketed and more details will be available in due course

Day Two

09:30

Irish Postgraduate Symposium - More details will be available in due course

10:40

Refreshment Break

11:00

Julie Wallace Lecture

11:45

Oral Communication Session Three

13:15

Lunch
Irish Section AGM

14:20

Symposium 2 - Translating Nutrition Research into Policy and Practice  

The application of artificial intelligence in nutrition and health research 
Prof Michaela Black, Ulster University

15:00

Use of digital technologies in nutrition and Health promotion
Dr Cathal O’Hara, Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland

15:40

Refreshment Break

16:00

Assessing nutritional status using novel biomarkers 
Dr Adrian McCann, Bevital Norway 

16:40

Evidence, efficacy and engagement: building blocks of translational research
Dr Karen Callaghan, Kings College London 

17:20

End of Day Two

19:30

Gala Dinner

Day Three

09:30

Symposium 3 - Food Systems, Sustainability and Equity in Nutrition

EAT Lancet 2 - Speaker to be confirmed

10:10

Presentation - Final details to be confirmed

10:50

Refreshment Break

11:10

Can biofortification be used as a tool to enhance the food system? 
Dr Kirsty Pourshahidi, Ulster University 

11:50

Presentation - Final details to be confirmed

12:30

Closing Remarks

12:45

Close of conference

This is an in-person event only. 

Conference address:

Coleraine Campus
Ulster University
Cromore Rd
Coleraine BT52 1SA