• Senior Lecturer, Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK (Feb 2012 – present).
• Lecturer, Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK (Feb 2009 – Feb 2012).
• Research Associate,  Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK (Jan 2007 - Jan 2009).
• Research Associate - NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow, Co appointment, Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, PA, USA (January 2005 - Dec 2007).
• Research Associate/Assistant, Pacific Agri-Food Research Center, Department of Agriculture Canada, BC, Canada (January 2003 - January 2005).
• Graduate Research Assistant, Human Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Human Biology and Nutrition, University of Guelph, ON, Canada (January 2000 - December 2002).

• Ph.D. 2005,   University of Guelph, Human Biology and Nutritional Science; Industrial Research location, Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, BC, Canada.
• M.Sc. 2002, University of Guelph, Human Biology and Nutritional Science.
• B.Sc. 2000,   University of Guelph, (hons), major in Biological Sciences, minor in Nutrition. 

My current research involves the investigation of phytochemical bioactivity following human feeding interventions and in cultured vascular and intestinal cells. This research focuses on the effects of metabolic transformation on the structure and cardiovascular bioactivity of flavonoids.

Selected Publications

Research Group Overview:

Flavonoids are a family of over 5000 different naturally occurring compounds found within common foodstuffs.  There is mounting evidence that supports the notion that dietary flavonoids act to slow the onset of chronic disease, particularly cardiovascular disease. However, the specific structural characteristics that confer these protective effects and whether these effects are brought about by compounds acting in isolation, in combination or as metabolites, still remains unknown. We are investigating the structural characteristics that allow this class of compounds to provide health benefits using in vivo and in vitro models of metabolism and cardiovascular disease.   
 

Lab Group Profile:

Dr. Charles Czank (Postdoctoral Fellow): Research project focuses on the impact of processing and human metabolism on anthocyanin structure and bioactivity as it relates to cardiovascular health. Charles has extensive experience in conducting human feeding studies, the use of mass spectrometry for the identification of anthocyanin metabolites in human samples, and various biochemical and molecular biology techniques for establishing bioactivity.

Dr. Jason Kerr (Postdoctoral fellow): Research project focuses on understanding the collective bioactivity of dietary flavonoids, with particular interest placed on defining the specific structural characteristics, and the molecular mechanisms, by which flavonoids have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular health. Jason has extensive experience in the establishment and culture of primary and stably engineered mammalian cells, the development of in vitro pharmacological assay systems, and biochemical and molecular biology techniques related to the cloning of genetic material and expression and characterisation of recombinant protein.

Rachel de Ferrars (PhD candidate): Research project focuses on investigating the bioavailability of anthocyanins and the distribution and elimination of their metabolites in humans.

Hiren Amin (PhD candidate): Research project focuses on screening novel anthocyanin metabolites for potential biological activities using in vitro vascular cell models.

Michael Edwards (PhD candidate): Research project focuses on investigating the bioactivity of flavonoids and their common phenolic degradation products using in vitro vascular cell models.

Jessica di Gesso (PhD candidate): Research project focuses on discovering and targeting the inflammatory signalling pathways responsible for the cardioprotective effects of dietary flavonoids using in vitro inflammatory cell models.

My current teaching activity is focused mainly on Problem Based Learning tutorials and Nutrition and Research Practice lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops to MB/BS medical degree students. Current lecturers, seminars, workshops include: Health Effects of Obesity, Diet and Respiratory Disease, Diet in Children and Research Protocol and Project Modules. In addition I am a Director of Learning Teaching and Quality for Post Graduate Research in the Faculty of Health.