Partners
OpeN-Global partners come from academic institutions, industry and international organisations across the globe.
Steering Committee
LINDSAY H. ALLEN PHD
Director, USDA, ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center, University of California, Davis, USA
Lindsay studies the prevalence, causes and consequences of micronutrient deficiencies, primarily in developing countries, using randomized, controlled human trials testing micronutrient supplements, food fortification, and food-based approaches to improve nutritional status, pregnancy outcome and child development.
CAROLINE HD FALL MBCHC DM FRCP FRCPCH
Professor of International Paediatric Epidemiology, Medical Research Council Life course Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, UK
Honorary Consultant in Child Health, University Hospitals NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
Caroline is an epidemiologist and paediatrician. She studied under Prof David Barker in the early days of the DOHaD concept (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease) and her current research focuses on the relationship between maternal nutrition, fetal development and later risk of cardiometabolic disease (type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease), with an emphasis on low- and middle-income countries.
ANN PRENTICE OBE PHD
Honorary Professor of Global Nutrition and Health, University of Cambridge, UK
Head of the MRC Nutrition and Bone Health Research Group, Cambridge
Chair of the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, UK
Prior to 2019, Ann was the Director of the MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Cambridge, and Chief Scientist for the consortium conducting the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Her research focuses on lifecourse nutritional requirements for population health, with an emphasis on calcium and vitamin D, encompassing the nutritional problems of both affluent and resource-limited societies.
Partners
MARIA ANDERSSON PHD
Senior Scientist, Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University Children’s Hospital Zurich
Lecturer, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Maria’s research field is micronutrient malnutrition, with focus on iodine and iron nutrition. Her research emphasis is on iodine metabolism, including dietary requirements, status biomarkers, prevalence, causes and consequences of iodine deficiency and excess.
ASHA BADALOO PHD
Professor, Nutritional Metabolism, Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, Caribbean Institute for Health Research, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
Asha has a double major BSc in chemistry and biochemistry and postgraduate degrees (MSc & PhD) in human nutrition. Generally, her research work has been in the area of using stable isotope tracer methodology to assess body composition and to explore in vivo metabolism of protein and amino acids, lipid, energy and glutathione in different physiological and pathological states such as childhood severe acute malnutrition and sickle cell disease. More recently, her research interests include childhood obesity and sarcopenia in the elderly.
JAY BERKLEY PHD
Principal Investigator, KEMRI/ Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya
Jay is a consultant paediatrician and sub-specialist in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology based at the KEMRI Centre for Geographic Medicine Research – (Coast) and Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, Kenya. Jay leads a research group focusing on infection and inflammation in childhood malnutrition, and on perinatal health. Jay joined the KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Collaborative Research Programme in Kilifi, Kenya in 1997.
DAVID BOYLE PHD
Scientific Director, Diagnostics Programme, PATH, USA
David is Scientific Director in the Diagnostics program at PATH, a Seattle-based NGO serving global health. He received his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Edinburgh, has worked in academia, clinical laboratories, and has over 15 years’ experience in developing clinical tools, focusing on their application for use in in low resource settings.
ELEANOR BRINDLE MA
Director, Biodemography, University of Washington Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology, USA
Eleanor is director of Biodemography at the University of Washington Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, an NICHD-funded demographic research infrastructure center providing support for interdisciplinary population scientists. The focus of her work has been developing and optimizing assay and specimen collection methods suitable for large-scale biological data collection in non-clinical settings.
LORNA COX MA MSC
Visiting worker, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
Lorna is now retired; she has led the Nutritional Biomarker Analysis team at the Medical Research Council (UKRI) Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Cambridge. For the last ten years the NBA team were responsible for providing and reporting on blood and urine biomarker data for the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey, and also in support of a wide range of nutrition studies and surveys in UK and worldwide.
J KENNEDY CRUICKSHANK BSC MBCHB MSC MD FRCP
Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine & Diabetes, King’s College London
Consultant Physician, St Thomas’ & Guy’s Hospitals, London, UK
Kennedy is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine & Diabetes at King’s College, & consultant physician at St Thomas’ & Guy’s Hospitals, London and previously in Manchester, UK, He was born & raised in Jamaica, did a Physiology BSc during medical school at Birmingham University, epidemiological/research training at the London School of Tropical Medicine, then a Wellcome fellowship with Prof. George Miller at the MRC Unit and Clinical Research Centre, Northwick Park, N-W London.
R NEIL DALTON PHD
Director, WellChild Laboratory at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, UK
Neil is the Director of the WellChild Laboratory at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, a founding director of SpOtOn Clinical Diagnostics, and previously Professor of Paediatric Biochemistry at King’s College London.
PRATIBHA DWARKANATH PHD
Associate Professor, Division of Nutrition, St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, India
Pratibha is a public health scientist with research interests in the first 1000 days of life. Her focus is to better understand modifiable maternal factors, including macro- and micro-nutrient deficiencies and nutrient status, that influence adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, particularly low birthweight and small-for-gestational age babies. Her research ranges from observational, interventional to mechanistic methodology using novel approaches such as stable isotope tracer kinetics methods.
DANIELA HAMPEL PHD
Food Chemist, USDA/Western Human Nutrition Research Center, USA
Daniela is a food chemist specializing in micronutrient analysis in human milk and other sample matrices, spanning from plasma or blood to liver tissue. She received her degree in Food Chemistry in 2005 at the University of Frankfurt, Germany, studying the biosynthetic pathways of terpenes, volatile flavour compounds in fruit and vegetables, applying various methodological approaches for analysis.
SEEROMANIE HARDING PHD
PI of the Caribbean-based CONTACT (COngregations Taking ACTion against non-communicable diseases), King’s College London, UK
Seeromanie is a social epidemiologist. She has worked at the interface of social sciences and epidemiology for the last 2 decades. Her undergraduate studies were in social sciences and her post graduate studies in medical demography and epidemiology.
MARJORIE J. HASKELL PHD
Associate Research Nutritionist, Program in International and Community Nutrition, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, USA
Marjorie has a M.S, in Public Health from the University of North Carolina and Ph.D., in Nutrition, from the University of California, Davis. Her research is focused on assessing the bioavailability of vitamin A from plant-based diets, and evaluating the efficacy and safety of vitamin A interventions in low-income countries.
KERRY JONES PHD
Senior Nutritional Biomarker Specialist, NIHR BRC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK
Kerry is Senior Nutritional Biomarker Specialist in the NIHR BRC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory (NBL) based at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and is a member of the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge. The NBL is responsible for the nutritional biomarker analyses of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).
EDWARD JOY PHD
Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Sustainability at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Edward’s research at LSHTM focuses on the measurement and management of micronutrient nutrition through integration of agriculture and food system data (www.geonutrition.com).
GILBERTO KAC PHD
Professor of Nutritional Epidemiology, Nutrition Department, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil
Gilberto is the leader of the Nutritional Epidemiology Observatory where he coordinates projects focusing mainly in maternal and child Nutrition. The Center involves overseeing and coordinating the work of approximately 25 researchers including Professors, postdoctoral assistants, D-Phil and Masters students.
ALBERT KOULMAN PHD
Head, NIHR BRC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK
Albert’s main research focus involves developing cutting-edge analytical methods to measure specific metabolites and nutritional biomarkers and using these methods to facilitate the further understanding of our metabolism and of the role of metabolism in disease.
ANURA V KURPAD PHD
Professor of Physiology & Nutrition at St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India
Anura was the Founding Dean of St John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, and is head of the IAEA Collaborating Centre on Nutrition, which is also located at St John’s. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, Fellow of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences, and Margdarshi Fellow of the Wellcome-DBT India Alliance. His research interests include protein and energy physiology, particularly related to undernutrition, pregnancy and the first 1000 day; micronutrient physiology, sarcopenia, insulin resistance, and clinical nutrition.
CHRIS LYMAN MBA
VP Research and Development, Quansys Biosciences, USA
Chris has extensive experience with the product development of ELISAs targeting a wide scope of biomarkers including human cytokines, markers of metastasis, infectious disease, metabolic syndrome, and multiple veterinary diagnostic targets.
CHRISTINE MCDONALD SCD
Assistant Scientist, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, USA
Director of the International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group
Christine is an Assistant Scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) and currently serves as Director of the International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group (IZiNCG), which aims to promote and assist efforts to reduce the global burden of zinc deficiency.
SARAH MEADOWS MSC
Senior Analyst and Lab Manager, NIHR BRC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK
Sarah is the Senior Analyst and lab Manager of the Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry section in the NIHR BRC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory (NBL) based at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and is a member of the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge.
JAMES NJUNGE PHD
Post-Doctoral scientist, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Programme, Kenya
James trained as a Biochemist and is interested in understanding the interaction between nutrition, metabolism, and infection in children. He is part of the CHAIN Network, which aims to optimize care for vulnerable children in low-resource settings to improve survival, growth and development. He heads the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry platform that mainly does proteomics.
DAVIS NWAKANMA PHD
Head, Laboratory Department, UK Medical Research Council, Gambia Unit, The Gambia
Davis joined the UK Medical Research Council, Gambia Unit, as Post-doctoral Scientific Officer in 2002. He subsequently served as head of Malaria Research Laboratory from 2006 and senior manager, Laboratory Services from 2010. Davis currently leads the Laboratory Department, a facility comprising Molecular Biology and Immunology Research labs and routine diagnostic laboratories that are GCLP and ISO 15189 accredited.
DAMON PARKINGTON BSC
Senior Analyst and Laboratory Manager at the NIHR BRC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, Cambridge, UK
Damon is the Senior Analyst and Laboratory Manager at the NIHR BRC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, where he is responsible for both setting up new biomarker assays and implementing previously described biomarker assays relevant to furthering our understanding of human nutrition.
He is an HCPC registered Biomedical Scientist with experience in clinical and research biochemistry, and immunoassay development.
LUCILLA POSTON PHD CBE
Professor and Head, Dept. of Women and Children’s Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King’s College London, UK
Director, Maternal and Foetal Research Unit, King’s College London, UK
Lucilla is Head of the Department of Women and Children’s Health, and of the School of Life Course Sciences at Kings College London (KCL). She holds the Tommy’s Charity Chair of Maternal and Fetal Health.
ANDREW PRENTICE PHD
Professor of International Nutrition, Nutrition Theme Leader, MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM
Andrew founded the MRC International Nutrition Group at LSHTM in 1999. Born in Uganda, he studied in East Africa and the UK obtaining a BSc in Biochemistry followed by a PhD in Nutrition from Darwin College, Cambridge. He worked in the MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit’s rural field station in Keneba, The Gambia from 1978-83. In 1983 he returned to the MRC Dunn Clinical Nutrition Centre in Cambridge to become Head of Human Energy Metabolism where he specialised in studying the regulation of energy balance with a particular focus on obesity. In 1999 he became scientific director of the MRC Keneba fieldstation. With full integration of Keneba within MRCG in 2014 he assumed leadership of the Nutrition Programme.
RUBHANA RAQIB PHD
Senior Scientist, Immunobiology, Nutrition and Toxicology Laboratory, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Rubhana leads the Immunobiology, Nutrition and Toxicology Laboratory at the icddr,b, an International Health Research institute based in Bangladesh. Her research interests have been inter-disciplinary in nature, focusing on immune functions in relation to infectious diseases, nutrition and environmental exposure.
MARVIN REID MB BS PHD (COMMUNITY MEDICINE)
Professor & Director, Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
Associate Lecturer in Dept of Community Medicine & Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
Marvin’s research interests span the gamut of community medicine, clinical trials and human metabolism. Specifically, as a metabolist and clinical nutritionist, Prof. Reid conducts research into the use of non-radioactive molecules to investigate how the body responds during the life course and to illness.
ANA RODRIGUEZ-MATEOS PHD
Lecturer, Dept of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, UK
Ana is a Lecturer in Nutrition at the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine. She received her PhD and conducted her postdoctoral studies at the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences of the University of Reading, UK.
NIPA ROJROONGWASINKUL PHD
Head of Nutrition Cluster and the Unit of Food Database Development for Promoting Health and Food Trade, Thailand
Nipa is currently head of Nutrition Cluster and the Unit of Food Database Development for Promoting Health and Food Trade. Formerly she was the Deputy Director of Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand.
THEODORA STEWART PHD
Lead scientist and Manager, London Metallomics Facility, King’s College London, UK
Theodora is currently the lead scientist and manager of the new London Metallomics Facility based at King’s College London, focusing on developing correlative metal bio-imaging workflows to advance our understanding of the roles and functions of metals in biology.
CHARLES TURNER PHD
Clinical Scientist & Deputy Director, WellChild Laboratory, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK
Charles began his career at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School working on the development of immunoassays for calcium regulating hormones (in particular vitamin D metabolites and parathyroid hormone), and then came to work with Neil Dalton at Guy’s Hospital in the laboratory which has developed into the WellChild Laboratory.
SUSAN WALKER PHD
Professor of Nutrition, Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Mona Campus, Jamaica
Susan’s main research interests are the effects of early life experiences, including nutrition, health and psychosocial factors, on children’s development and behaviour and the design and evaluation of sustainable interventions to improve children’s cognitive and behavioural outcomes. The most important study has been a trial of supplementation and stimulation with stunted children and follow-up of these children and a group of non-stunted children from age 1 to 18 years. This work has been used by UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank to demonstrate the need to integrate child development services into nutrition and health programmes. Other research includes the impact of health and nutrition in school aged children and adolescents, effects of term low birth weight, and evaluation of interventions to promote social and emotional competence in young children to prevent later aggressive behaviour.
NICK WAREHAM PHD
Director, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
Nick is the Director of the MRC Epidemiology Unit and co-Director of the Institute of Metabolic Science. His principal research interests are the aetiology and prevention of obesity and diabetes. He also co-leads the Aetiology of Diabetes and Related Metabolic Disorders Programme with Dr Claudia Langenberg, and is the Director of the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR).
MICHAEL WATTS PHD
Head, Inorganic Geochemistry, British Geological Society, UK
Michael is Head of Inorganic Geochemistry at the British Geological Survey, Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, UK, and President Elect of the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health.
PATTANEE WINICHAGOON PHD
Associate Professor and Senior Advisor, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Pattanee was awarded her PhD in international nutrition from Cornell University. She has taught for the graduate program in nutrition, and the international graduate program in nutrition and dietetics and applied food science for nutrition at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University (INMU).