Dr Viren Ranawana

I am a Registered Nutritionist with over 15 years academic experience in food and nutrition research, teaching and external engagement. I have a PhD and master’s in human nutrition and an undergraduate degree in food science and technology. My professional training as a chef provides a practical understanding of linking science with real-world dietary approaches. My career experience spans academia and food industry. I joined the University of Sheffield as a Senior Lecturer in human nutrition in 2020 and am based in the School of Medicine and Population Health. 

I have over 15 years of experience in food and nutrition research. My work is at the food-nutrition interface using diet-based approaches for sustainable health promotion and disease control. Broadly, my research interests focus on three areas: (1) the clinical application of nutrition for mental health and reducing non-communicable diseases, (2) the health and nutrition potential of underutilised and novel foods, and (3) improving the sustainability of health-promoting food systems. I have a particular interest in research involving cardiometabolic health, mental health, food intake regulation, nutrient bioavailability, and novel foods. My technical expertise broadly falls within three interlinked areas, firstly, conducting clinical human intervention trials for assessing dietary effects on disease metabolism (lab-based and free-living), secondly, the nutritional and functional characterisation of novel and underutilised foods, and thirdly, community-based co-designed research for assessing nutrition status and improving diet equity. I have extensive experience in leading and collaborating on externally-funded nutrition research projects. These include clinical studies, lab-based projects, and public health community-based studies. I am a strong advocate of translational nutrition research and also have experience in leading and collaborating on industry-academia collaboration projects. I have over 40 food, nutrition and health publications in peer-reviewed journals.

I have over ten years experience in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, and am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). My teaching expertise is in food and nutrition, public health, biology, biochemistry, physiology and research methods. I have extensive experience in programme leadership and have been director of Masters programmes in Sheffield and Aberdeen. I have also led the design and establishment of new degree programmes, and led over ten modules in food, nutrition, and health. I currently serve as the dissertations lead for the School’s public health Masters programmes. I am on the Accreditation committee of the Association for Nutrition (AfN), and am also a programme reviewer for AfN.

I enjoy external engagement work and have led events including at Festival of Social Sciences, Edinburgh Science Festival, Royal Highland Show, and Techfest.