Obesity is arguably the most important public health issue of the 21st century. Irrespective of the environmental, genetic or dietary driver, an inability to match energy and nutrient intake to energy expenditure and nutrient needs is the primary cause of weight gain. Expanding our understanding of how, working with the food industry, healthier food products may be developed and claims for enhanced satiety, suppression of food intake and glycaemic control validated.  In particular, the role of combinations of food ingredients will be the focus of this project. The project is funded through the Riddet Institute, one of ten Centres of Research Excellence (CoRE) currently funded by the New Zealand government (Tertiary Education Commission). The Institute brings together New Zealand’s leading scientists in food and nutrition in a collaborative, multidisciplinary national network.  
 
This research project will be based at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and the successful applicant will have access to a wide of expertise. The supervisory team will be led by Professor Elaine Rush. Professor Rush is currently a Professor of Nutrition at AUT who has served as the New Zealand representative for the International Association for the Study of Obesity, an expert consultant for the World Health Organisation and the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency in Nutrition and Health (1999‐present). She is also the Scientific Director of the New Zealand Nutrition. Email erush@aut.ac.nz for further information about the project.

The purpose of this scholarship is to support the research of one PhD candidate in the field of food product development with a focus on healthy food products. 

For information on eligibility, application and selection criteria, visit the AUT website.