Our Contributors

Dr. Lisa Ryan, a Registered Nutritionist, joined ATU in 2015 from Monash University. Lisa co-founded the Irish Concussion Research Centre and is widely published in concussion, nutrition, and functional foods, with research focusing on female rugby players and concussion management.

Dr. Helen Sheridan is the founder and academic director of the NatPro Centre for Natural Product Research located at TCD (2019 – to date).  Helen returned to UCD on an Irish Government Fellowship and carried our research and teaching there, in the area of natural products before taking up her academic position in the SoPPS at TCD.

Mónica graduated in Pharmacy from the University of Granada in Spain and did her doctoral thesis on molecular biology at a Research Center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). She specializes in probiotic strains isolated from human milk and is the author of 80 scientific publications, more than 40 related to probiotics, and is also listed as an inventor on 8 patents, 3 of them on probiotics.

Mollie is a marketing executive on Kerry’s Global ProActive Health Marketing team for immune health. She holds an MSc in Insight & Innovation from Dublin City University, a BSc in Human Nutrition from University College Dublin and is a Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr).

Dr Laura Collins is the RD&A lead for Cognitive Health at Kerry. Laura completed a PhD in Immunology at Dublin City University investigating possible therapeutics for inflammatory diseases. Laura took the learnings from her PhD into her postdoctoral research for Food for Health Ireland (FHI) to identifying foods with immune-modulating capabilities.

Sonja Nodland, PhD received a master’s degree in Cell Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and a PhD from the Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology program at the University of Minnesota. Since that time, her scientific interests have expanded to include macrophages as well as how our immune system is influenced by our diet and the microorganisms present in our bodies.

Paul Vos is Senior Researcher and Expertise Leader Nutrition Quality & Health at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research (part of Wageningen University & Research). The Nutrition Quality & Health team focuses on in vitro research in relation to gut health, digestion, fermentation and gut-immune interactions, connecting directly with human studies and working across disciplines.

Hilary McCahill is a registered dietitian fascinated with food safety, quality, and sustainable nutrition. She has a qualification in human nutrition and dietetics and is registered in both Ireland and the UK. She is passionate about high quality food production and using nutrition communication effectively to breakdown scientific findings (to ensure they are accessible to all).

Emma is a Global Strategic Marketing Director in Food Protection and Preservation at Kerry. Emma has a BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Science and an MSc in International Marketing Practice, both from University College Dublin, Ireland. Emma partners with her technical colleagues, to translate microbiological innovation into actionable insight for the market, informing the next generation of consumer-friendly food protection.

Graduated with honors from INRS-Armand-Frappier Institute, Dr Mathieu Millette is an authority on probiotics for over 20 years. Seasoned microbiologist, lecturer and Scientific Director for Kerry company, he leads a team of talented scientists dedicated to elucidate the mechanisms of action of probiotic bacteria and to understand the interactions between beneficial microorganisms, the gut microbiome and the immune system.

Dr. Mimmi Lundahl is an Immunology Scientist, working for (RDA) ProActive Health at Kerry. Her research focuses primarily on how functional ingredients interact with the innate immune system. She has a Molecular Biology degree from Lund University in Sweden, a M.Sc. in Immunology and a PhD in Immunology and Chemistry from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Colin Hill has a Ph.D in molecular microbiology and is a Professor in the School of Microbiology at University College Cork, Ireland. He is also a founding Principal Investigator in APC Microbiome Ireland, a large research centre of over 300 scientists devoted to the study of the role of the gut microbiota in health and disease.

Abby is a highly motivated sustainability professional with a strong passion for developing sustainable systems that foster equitable and prosperous futures for all. Abby is currently a Senior Sustainability Specialist at Kerry where she works to support sustainable nutrition solutions for the food and beverage industry.

Alex is the founder and CEO for W2O, a flavor technology firm for the past fifteen years based in the USA. He specializes in creating Better Food with niche expertise in contemporary taste & smell neuroscience and state of art clean label plant-based ingredients.

Katherine Ceschi is a dedicated Scientist for Taste Innovation at the Beloit Kerry Center. With a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from UW-Whitewater, Katherine began her journey at Kerry as an intern in the Taste Innovation department six years ago. Her passion and expertise quickly made her an invaluable member of the team, leading to a full-time position at the end of her internship.

Aisling is a Registered Nutritionist, a Fellow and Chartered Scientist of the Institute of Food Science & Technology and the Nutrition Science Manager for Kerry Europe. Aisling has over 20 years of experience working in nutritional science including scientific research, clinical nutrition, science communication, and nutritional science & regulations.

A global thought leader, Jack has delivered more than 500 keynote speeches in 50 countries on the future of food. Degrees include: J.D. in Law, M.S. in Environmental Science, B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Psychology and Chemistry.

Juan Aguiriano is a corporate sustainability pioneer with over 30 years’ experience leading businesses and working at C-suite level at some of the world’s biggest food, chemical and fibers companies to provide strategic guidance in helping develop and implement innovative strategies to transform businesses and operations towards triple-bottom line sustainability.

Beatriz is driven by a passion for creating a delicious and resilient food future for all. She works with companies, organizations, and investors to push forward breakthrough solutions. She has travelled around the globe meeting “food heroes”: farmers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, transforming the way we eat.

João is an entrepreneur, breakdancer, agroforester, and recreational scuba diver who has lived in Portugal, Mexico, United States, Brazil and Spain (his current home). Currently, João is Director of Growth & Innovation at HowGood, a Sustainability Intelligence Platform with the world’s largest food product sustainability database.

Liz Lalor, BSc is currently a Global Marketing Manager for Kerry’s Applied Health and Nutrition team. She has a strong passion for sustainability and seeking out ways to help produce nutritious food that is kinder to the environment, people, and communities around the world. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacology from the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Niall Higgins, Ph.D joined Kerry in 2016 in a role responsible for the development of Kerry enzyme technologies, driving the full innovation chain from concept design to product delivery. Since then Niall has held multiple positions within Kerry as R&D Manager, Integration Lead, Senior Business Development Manager and now Head of Product Innovation, based at c-LEcta, Leipzig, Germany.

Simon has over 20 years’ experience across multiple roles in innovation, commercial and marketing, working with some of the biggest global foodservice brands. He is a strong supporter of Kerry’s ambition to provide sustainable food and beverage solutions to more than 2 billion consumers by 2030.

Sarah Corcoran was always passionate about the area of health and nutrition and then completed a master’s in Public Health Nutrition in ATU Sligo, graduating in 2022. She also presented some of her research at the Nutrition Society of Ireland conference in Cork University.