Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
This exciting event provides a platform for academic and industrial collaboration in performance and metabolic health research, with academic colleagues from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Carnegie School of Sport working together and welcoming industry leaders in research and development from companies such Bayer, Nestle and Unilever.
The event aims to discuss work that is of mutual interest and value, to generate and share ideas and passions for nutritional research and to forge new and exciting collaborations with our academic and industry colleagues.
Dr Kostas Mantantzis Kostas is the Global Medical Lead at Bayer Consumer Health, where he heads the Nutritionals Medical Affairs team. In this role, he oversees medical strategy and drives innovation in the vitamins, minerals, and supplements category. Before joining Bayer, he held positions at GSK Consumer Healthcare, Haleon, and Nestlé, where he led clinical development and innovation for pain relief products and nutritional solutions. Kostas holds a PhD in Psychobiology of Aging from the University of Warwick and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Humboldt University of Berlin, focusing on cognitive aging and metabolic health. His research has been featured in outlets such as BBC Science Focus, Der Spiegel, and Runner’s World.
Dr Anna Cherta, Specialist in Glucose and Weight Management, Nestle is a Biologist at heart. Dr Anna Cherta has been drawn by nutrition research since her MRs in nutrition and metabolism at the University of Barcelona where she did an internship at Imperial College London with Professor Gary Frost. This was followed by a a Research Assistant post conducting and overseeing clinical trials in nutrition, which culminated in her obtaining a PhD in Clinical Medicine Research from Imperial College London. Her research focused on investigating the effects of mycoprotein consumption on glycaemic control and satiety in people with Type 2 Diabetes using systematic reviews and meta-analysis, cross-sectional and clinical studies, and in vitro batch culture fermentation. Currently, she works as a specialist in metabolic health at the largest food and beverage company, Nestlé, where she develops new products that help maintain postprandial glucose and body weight and researches clinical efficacy.
Dr Eric Hilton is a distinguished expert in the fields of nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and pharmacology, with extensive experience in the research and development of innovative therapeutics. His career spans several decades, during which he has made significant contributions to the advancement of treatments for a range of medical conditions. Known for his leadership and commitment to scientific excellence, he has collaborated with leading research institutions and global healthcare organisations. His work continues to disrupt the future of medical science for the better, driving progress in both research and development and product delivery. He is a visiting scholar and guest lecturer at Nottingham Trent University in applied Medicinal Chemistry.
Barry, originally from Ireland, completed his PhD in Psychopharmacology at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. His main research interests focus on the impact of nutrients on cognitive function and brain health across the lifespan. He has applied this research to support a variety of brands/categories in the food and beverage industry for more than a decade with GSK Consumer Healthcare, Nestle, and Unilever. Currently, at Unilever he is responsible for developing and implementing research strategies and programs on mental wellbeing for the Unilever Nutrition and Ice Cream Business Groups.
Jonathan is a method development and food market specialist with over 10 years’ experience in complex sample preparation and quantitative analysis. Spanning several job roles, his expertise is focused on product development, customer training/troubleshooting, and technical sales support in industries such as biotechnology, food safety, and early-stage drug development.
Louise is a Chartered Health Psychologist and Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield. Her research examines effects of nutrition on cognitive function, health, and wellbeing and how to encourage and sustain dietary behaviour change at individual, organisational, and societal levels. She has expertise in the design of both laboratory based experimental studies and free living interventions. Her work on breakfast and cognition highlights the importance of diet in children and food insecurity. Louise is Co-Director of the SFI/DAERA/UKRI funded Co-Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and leads a work package on increasing dietary fibre intake in low-income consumers in the UKRI funded H3 project. She is Co-Director of the National Alternative Protein Innovation Knowledge Centre (NAPIC).
