Profile

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Iain Brownlee

    • About Me:

      I live in Newcastle and work as a nutrition researcher. I like quizzes and fanciful clothes.

    • My pronouns are:

      He/him

    • My Work:

      My research focuses on defining how to improve the diets of people and communities, including through supporting schools and similar institutions to develop their menus.

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      Poor dietary habit is the biggest cause of ill-health and early death in the world. Almost no one eats the foods that would keep them healthy for as long as possible,. I have worked on defining national dietary habits in young people in both Singapore and the UK. I am interested in designing and testing new approaches to improve what adults eat and how healthy they are.

    • My Typical Day:

      I have muesli or porridge and fruit for breakfast. I walk to work and arrive at 8am-9am.

      I meet with colleagues, PhD students and researchers throughout the day to support their studies with molecules, foods, data and people.

      I teach students about diet and health most days.

      I also make sure that our department is organised, that our courses run smoothly and that are students are happy.

      All research requires funding, so with colleagues  I develop applications for more money for the work we do.

      I also work with the wider team to write papers and summaries, produce posters and talks to let scientists and the wider public know about our work.

      I go home at around 6pm.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would support the work my university is doing to provide Holiday Clubs for young people in the North East in the summer holidays.

    CV

    • Education:

      I went to primary school in Berkshire (Lambourn) and secondary school in Oxfordshire (Abingdon). My early education helped me realised I was interested in science, particularly how the human body functions.

      I studied Physiological Sciences at Newcastle University (3 years) to follow this interest in how the body works. This helped me narrow my interests to understanding the the gut works.

      I then carried out a PhD at Newcastle University (3.5 years) looking at gut physiology and dietary fibre. This meant I became interested in how food affects how the body works.

      I worked as a researcher at Newcastle University for 6-7 years, being involved in studies on patients and healthy people. This included work trying to understand how wholegrain foods and fibres from seaweeds affect heart health and body weight.

      I got my first Lecturer role at Sheffield Hallam University (1 year), where I started teaching Human Nutrition to undergraduate and postgraduate students.

      I then got the opportunity to do teach Human Nutrition for Newcastle University in Singapore. I worked here for almost seven years. Within this time, I supported my first PhD students, won my first funding for projects as a Lead Scientist and started work in managing university running and helping to improve student satisfaction after being promoted. During this time, I became particularly interested in measuring what people are eating and trying to define how they could improve their diet. I also started working with studies focused on  nutrition in children and adolescents.

      After this, I worked for 1.5 years for CSIRO (the national science agency in Australia) as a Senior Research Scientist. Within this role, I helped partners from the food and nutrition industry develop their research ideas and market their products appropriately.

      I moved back to the UK in 2019 and have been working as an Associate Professor of Human Nutrition for Northumbria University ever since. I have worked alongside colleagues working to help measure and improve food provision in holiday clubs and now also in schools. I continue to study how “ideal” dietary intake is in people of all ages. I work with collaborators across the UK and in many parts of the world now.

    • Qualifications:

      1. GCSEs – I (think I) did 10 GCSEs, with marks from A* to C. It was a long time ago!

      2. A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths (all A).

      3. BSc (Hons) in Physiological Sciences (2:1 classification), Newcastle University.

      4. PhD entitled “The Interactions of Dietary Fibre and Colonic Mucus” (Pass), Newcastle University.

      5. PGCert in teaching and Learning for Higher Education (Pass), Sheffield Hallam University.

      6. Registered Nutritionist (Nutrition Science), UK Association for Nutrition.

    • Work History:

      1. Thames Valley Eggs – packing eggs in boxes for supermarkets.
      2. Laboratory Demonstrator, Newcastle University – supporting and running practicals in physiology for Biomedical, Medical and Dental students.
      3. MMA Instructor – I used to teach MMA and other martial arts to a range of people, some of whom fought competitively.
      4. Research Associate, Newcastle University – working on specific project in laboratory and in human participant study facilities. Writing papers for scientific audiences and attending international meetings related to my research.
      5. Lecturer in Food and Nutrition, Sheffield Hallam University – lecturing to students students for the first time. Supervised my first PhD students.
      6. Lecturer/Associate Professor in Food and Human Nutrition, Newcastle University (Singapore) – acted as Lead researcher on a range of projects. Taught students and lived full-time in Singapore. Talked at and organised international meetings.
      8. Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO, Australia – supported companies working in food/food ingredients and digital health in developing new ideas and products. I was based in Adelaide but worked with colleagues across Australia.  

    • Current Job:

      Associate Professor in Human Nutrition, Northumbria University – continue working to lead and partner on meaningful projects in human nutrition, including evaluating food provision at holiday clubs and schools.

      I currently help four PhD students, two Research Assistants and two Research Associates their own research careers.

      I help organise our department to keep students happy and ensure our courses are interesting and run smoothly. Hopefully this will help Northumbria University win even more awards 🙂

      I am an Executive Board member of Nutrition North – a group who aim to improve diet and health in the North of England.

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Nutrition researcher and part-time fashionista

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        1. Pro-wrestler; 2. Lawyer; 3. Dentist

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        I never got caught doing anything wrong ;)

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        I almost ended up working as a Marine Biologist

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        I like being surprised by what's on the radio - I don't like to listen to just one act.

        What's your favourite food?

        I love all food but particularly like trying unusual food

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        1. That I was more organised 2. That I had more time 3. That I could fall asleep immediately.

        Tell us a joke.

        Q: What's the world's fastest cake? A: Scone

Questions answered by Iain

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