About
“The Ms Frizzle of Food & Nutrition Science”!
Why food & nutrition?
Starting her university journey as a law student, Dr Emma Beckett soon realized that studying evidence and coming to conclusions was really what scientists did. Her career started in immunology & microbiology research but she moved into food & nutrition science when considering the major determinants of health and disease - we all eat every day, and so food and nutrition is a science that reaches all.
Food & Nutrition is also a great science for “all-rounders” you get to use chemistry, physics, maths, biology, epidemiology and basically every science discipline.
Not just Science
Dr Emma knows that the education and the opportunity to work in research is a privilege and that the food and nutrition space is full of misinformation, marketing and hype. So, she dedicates a large amount of time to sharing no nonsense nutrition information in the media and on her social media.
Education
Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours Class I, Immunology & Microbiology), 2007, The University of Newcastle, Australia.
Graduate Diploma Clinical Epidemiology (specialisation in Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology), 2010, The University of Newcastle, Australia.
Masters of Science Management, 2011, The University of Newcastle, Australia.
PhD (Food Science & Human Nutrition), 2016, The University of Newcastle & CSIRO.
Graduate Certificate in Human Nutrition, 2020, Deakin University, Australia.
Work History
2024 - present: Adjunction Senior Lecture, Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Innovation, UNSW.
2023 - present: Dynamic Foodie (Food & Nutrition Scientist and Science Communicator), FOODiQ Global.
2022 - 2024: Senior Lecturer & Program Convenor (Food Science & Human Nutrition), the University of Newcastle Australia.
2019-2021: Lecturer (Food Science & Human Nutrition), the University of Newcastle Australia.
2017-2020: National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Research Fellow, The University of of Newcastle, Australia.
2016: Research Associate, The University of Newcastle.
2014: Visiting Research Fellow, National Institute of Environmental & Health Sciences, The National Institutes of Health, USA.
2012-2015: Casual Academic, The University of Newcastle, Australia.
2008-2012: Research Assistant & Laboratory Manager, Microbiology, Asthma & Airways Research Group, The University of Newcastle.
Selected Awards & Prizes
2020 - Student Experience Award, The Faculty of Science, The University of Newcastle, Australia
2019 - Research Excellence Early Career Researcher Award, University of Newcastle Excellence Awards
2019 - Beryl Nashar Early Career Research Achiever, UON Alumni Awards.
2018 - BUPA Emerging Health Researcher Finalist - recognises the valuable contribution of early career -researchers to health outcomes for all Australians.
2018 - Poster Presentation Excellence Award – United European Gastroenterology Conference
2017- NSW Young Tall Poppy - recognises outstanding early career researchers and communicators.
2017 - Ian Potter Foundation, Travel Fellowship
2016 - Best presentation Central Coast Local Health District Research Symposium
2016 - Australian Academy of Science and Japan Society for the promotion of Science Fellowship - To attend the 8th Annual HOPE meeting with Nobel Laureates Fellowship, Tsukuba, Japan.
2015 - Science & Industry Endowment Fund – Australian Academy of Science Fellowship - to attend the Lindau Nobel Laureates Meetings, Lindau, Germany.
2015 - Outstanding Poster Award – International Society for Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
2014 - Adam J Berry Memorial Award (Australian Academy of Science and the NIH Trust) - supports visiting fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, USA.
2014 - Best Oral Presentation Award – Nutrition Society of Australia and New Zealand Joint Annual -Scientific Meeting, Wellington, NZ.
Selected Committees & service
2022-present - NHMRC Research Quality Steering Committee
2020-present - Nutrient Reference Values Iodine Expert Working Group
2019-present - Associate Editor Nutrients (MDPI journal).
2019-present - Co-editor Newsletter, The Nutrition Society of Australia.
2018-present - Board Member – The International Society for Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics.
2020-2021 - Co-convenor, Australian Academy of Science Speaker Series – Food for Thought.
2018-2021 - EMCR forum executive committee member and 2019 Deputy Chair.
2018-2021 - Co-editor Newsletter, The Australian Academy of Science EMCR Forum.
2017 - Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank, Rethinking Food and Nutrition Science.
2015-2017 - Nutrition Society of Australia, Newcastle Branch, committee member.
Registrations & Memberships
Registered Nutritionist, The Nutrition Society of Australia
Professional Member, The Australian Institute for Food Science & Technology
Member, International Society for Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics