Senior Staff
Dr Ann Prentice
Director and Head of Nutrition and Bone Health
Ann is the Director and Head of Nutrition and Bone Health Research at MRC Human Nutrition Research (HNR). Her research focuses on nutrient requirements for bone health, encompassing the nutritional problems of both affluent and developing societies. She is currently involved in projects studying pregnant and lactating women, children, adolescents and older people in the UK, West Africa and China. Ann is a member of the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, the BioSciences Federation Council and a number of other advisory committees. She is an Honorary Professor at King's College London and Shenyang Medical College, China. Ann was awarded the Laureate de Le Prix Scientifique, Institut Candia, France in 1998 and the Robert and Edna Langholz Award for International Nutrition in 2004. She was President of The Nutrition Society between 2004 and 2007, and appointed an OBE in the Birthday Honours List 2006.
Dr Dietrich A Volmer
Head of Bioanalytical Sciences
Dietrich's research focuses on different areas of biological mass spectrometry, such as biomarker discovery and validation, lipidomics, structural elucidation techniques as well as high-throughput methodologies. After obtaining his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Hannover, Germany, he conducted postdoctoral research on bioanalytical mass spectrometry at the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, AR/USA, followed by an appointment as a Research Associate at the National Research Council in Canada. He then became Head of the Analytical Research Laboratory at Merck in Darmstadt, Germany.
In 2001, he returned to Canada as a Group Leader and Senior Research Officer for Biological Mass Spectrometry at the NRC's Institute for Marine Biosciences in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dietrich joined HNR in February 2007 as the Head of Bioanalytical Sciences, comprising the Biological Mass Spectrometry, Physiological Modelling/Isotope Tracer Techniques and the Nutritional Biomarker Analysis research groups. He is the principal investigator of the Cambridge Lipidomics Biomarker Research Initiative (CLBRI). Dietrich is also Editor of the journal Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry.
Dr Susan Jebb
Head of Nutrition and Health
Susan is Head of Nutrition and Health Research at HNR. Susan trained in nutrition and dietetics prior to her PhD at the MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit. Her research focuses on the role of dietary factors in the aetiology and treatment of obesity and its related metabolic diseases. Susan also leads the HNR Communications team who focus on the translation of nutrition science into policy and practice, working with policymakers, industry, health professionals, NGOs and the media across a broad range of activities. Susan is an advisor to government on issues related to obesity and to nutrition. Currently she is Chair of the cross-government Expert Advisory Group on Obesity and a member of the Change4Life Board. She was an Expert Advisor to the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit Review on Food and now sits on the FSA Food Policy Strategy Advisory Group.
Dr Jonathan Powell
Head of Biomineral Research
Jonathan was appointed Head of Biomineral Research (formerly Micronutrient Status Research) in October 2003. He is also Visiting Professor in the School of Medicine at King's College London and is a Fellow of Hughes Hall, Cambridge. Within HNR, Jonathan's Section's work focuses on (i) The absorption of iron and diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency, with a particular interest in the development of novel mineral-based iron supplements (ii) The role of minerals, especially nano- and micro-sized mineral particles, in inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract (iii) The development of novel mineral-based therapeutics. Jonathan collaborates widely on issues of mineral metabolism and analysis and, in addition to those noted above, has a keen interest in silicon and its potential role in biology. His previous positions were Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Medicine at King's College London from May 1999; visiting Assistant Professor, Dept. of Immunology and Rheumatology, University of California at Davis, California, USA from April 1998; and MRC Fellow/Honorary Lecturer, Dept. of Gastrointestinal Research, Rayne Institute St Thomas' Hospital, London from August 1995.
Dr Alison Lennox (formerly Stephen)
Head of Population Nutrition Research
Alison came to HNR from her position as Director of Research at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Prior to that she spent 12 years at the University of Saskatchewan, where she was a Full Professor and for some time the Head of the Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition. This was followed by two years in industry, at CANTOX Health Sciences International in Mississauga, Ontario, where she was the Director of Nutritional Sciences.
Alison's first degree was in Physiology from the University of Edinburgh, which was followed by a Diploma in Nutrition and PhD from the University of Cambridge. Her PhD research was conducted on human colonic function at the Dunn Clinical Nutrition Centre with Dr John Cummings. She carried out post-doctoral training at the Mayo Clinic, with Dr Sidney Philips, and at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio with Dr John Banwell. Alison returned to the UK and worked with Professor Nicholas Wald at St Bartholomew's Medical College in London, before returning to Canada in 1987.
Alison has strong research interests in gastrointestinal function, particularly the roles of dietary fibre and starch, and more recently in dietary trend analysis, particularly fat, carbohydrate and energy. She has considerable experience in issues relating nutrition to food policy, dietary surveys and methodologies, and regulatory affairs. She has worked within the private and charitable sectors, and has been closely involved with the Canadian and US government departments associated with food policy and with FAO/WHO.
Dr Lennox continues to publish under the name Alison M Stephen.
Ms Polly Page
Head of Operations
Polly became the Head of Operations in October 2009. She joined HNR as Unit Manager in April 2003 having previously worked in MRC Head Office, London, as a Research Business Manager for the Molecular Cellular Medicine and Neurosciences and Mental Health Research Boards. She is a member of the unit's Scientific Coordination and Executive Management Committees, and as the unit's Research Governance representative and Designated Individual on the Human Tissues Licence for HNR, she chairs the Research Governance Committee.