No two days are exactly alike in my role at Leeds Beckett University. I am a Senior Lecturer in Sport, Health, Exercise, and Nutrition, and my research is based within the Obesity Institute. My work combines teaching, supporting students, developing research and working with communities to better understand how people access, afford and experience food. Much of my research focuses on food insecurity, dietary inequalities and the wider social and commercial factors that shape health.

Today, after making sure my children are breakfasted and packed off to school, I start by checking my calendar and catching up on emails, alongside a much-needed cup of tea. I have a day of Teams meetings ahead. First is a discussion with public health colleagues in Kent about a project considering inequalities in men's health. We recently received notification that our stage two NIHR application had been unsuccessful. While this is disappointing, grant development is often an iterative process. We spent time considering the feedback, identifying how we can address the reviewers’ recommendations, further developing our ideas and exploring alternative opportunities to submit a revised application.

Teaching and student supervision are among the most rewarding parts of my job. I work with undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students. My next meeting is with a PhD student, who has recently been undertaking qualitative interviews. Although recruitment has presented several challenges, she has demonstrated real resilience throughout the process. She brings initial ideas for the analysis to our meeting, and it is motivating to hear her enthusiasm for the emerging findings. We finish by agreeing on clear goals for the next month.

After a quick lunch, I have a catch-up with Leeds Beckett colleagues, Professor Claire Griffiths, Professor Mark Gilthorpe and Dr Tom Sawczuk, about ongoing research we have been involved with. The FIO Food Project (Food Insecurity in people living with Obesity) is a multi-disciplinary UK research initiative exploring how retail food environments can better support people experiencing food insecurity and obesity. Although the project's funding has now ended, we still have two papers to write and findings to share. We discuss not only actions for the papers but also further potential collaborative opportunities.

My final tasks for the day involve making a start on teaching preparation. Semester one is approaching, and I have a new Level 6 Public Health Nutrition module to lead. My research informs my teaching, and now it is time to make the content I had previously started drafting more engaging, helping students connect public health evidence with the real-world conditions that influence diet, health and inequality.

Before finishing for the day, I make notes for tomorrow. I like a good to-do list; it helps me keep track of what needs to be done and in what order. Tomorrow will bring a different focus, but the aim remains the same: contributing to research, teaching and partnerships that support a fairer food system.