In December 2018 we gained Imperial Centre of Excellence status, forming the Centre for Translational Nutrition and Food Research, building on the work and success of what was formally the Nutrition and Food Network.  The Centre brings together world leading research teams across Imperial College’s Faculties.  Using multi-disciplinary approaches and cutting edge techniques the Centre extends the strength and capability of the research base to respond to key emerging global challenges in Nutrition, Food and Health.  The Centre works extensively with industry and supports the development of high calibre group leaders in food and nutrition through the recruitment and support of young lecturers and research studentships.

The continued global increase in non-communicable disease (obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer) is driven through change in lifestyle, a major component of which is food.  Also, in many areas of the world under-nutrition and food shortages remain a major problem and there are currently no solutions to many of these major problems.  Expanding populations and rapid urbanisation are leading to grand challenges on resources, food, energy, and waste globally.  Food and energy production are interconnected and complex, not only under increasing demand but also face land-water resource scarcity and socio-environmental constraints.

We are tackling these issues by understanding novel approaches to food design and functionality as well as understanding how food interacts with metabolism.  The understanding of food at a molecular level, as well as the underlying effect of food and nutrition on public health, is crucial to the design of food systems which can take advantage of key and emerging trends and respond to current challenges.  We have a combined portfolio in excess of £20 million and the aim of the Centre for Translational Nutrition and Food Research is to expand the portfolio and move the organisational barriers to interdisciplinary research and to encourage new teams to come together to tackle these challenges.

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Faculties and Departments involved in the Nutrition and Food Centre:

• Faculty of Medicine
• Department of Medicine
• Department of Surgery and Cancer
• School of Public Health
• Business School
• Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation
• Faculty of Engineering
• Department of Chemical Engineering
• Department of Mechanical Engineering
  
• Dyson School of Design Engineering
• Faculty of Natural Sciences
• Department of Chemistry
• Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment