Kirsty graduated from Ulster University with a BSc Hons (first class) Human Nutrition, followed by a PhD in Nutrition.  She worked as a Research Associate within the Nutrition team at Ulster on a range of externally funded research projects (2011-2014), before being promoted to Research Fellow in July 2014 and taking up her current Lecturer role in 2019.  Kirsty is a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) with the Association for Nutrition.

Kirsty is author on more than 65 peer-reviewed publications investigating various aspects of agri-food nutrition and consumer innovation, food choice, vitamin D and health, and has a strong track record in PhD supervision across these research areas.  

In 2014, Kirsty was the inaugural recipient of the Julie Wallace Medal Lecture awarded by the Nutrition Society in recognition of early stage scientific excellence in the field of nutrition.  More recently, Kirsty was awarded the Distinguished Researcher Overall Champion at the 2023 Research Excellence Awards.

As well her teaching and research commitments at Ulster, Kirsty is also invovled in the following civic, institutional and professional contributions:

• Coordinator, ‘Digital Engagement, Communications & Impact’ team at NICHE
• Treasurer, Nutrition Society Irish Section
• Senior Member, ‘NNEdPro’s Collaborators Network’
• Member, 'Institute of Food Science & Technology'
• Member, ‘European Nutrition Leadership Platform’
• Academic member of Senate at Ulster University

Lead: Agri-Food & Consumer Innovation research, sub-group within the Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE).

Other research interests: vitamin D requirements for health; consumer food choice; polyphenols & gut health; nutrition & health in ileostomates; food safety; aquaponics; sustainable food systems.  

PhD research: “Indices of body composition as predictors of immune and inflammatory responses: implications for health”.

Course Director, BSc (Hons) Food & Nutrition

Module Coordinator: Food Science (NUT303); Practical Application of Nutrition in the Food Industry (NUT321); Global-led Innovation & Entrepreneurship (BIO385); Food Science & Microbiology (NUT813); Associate module coordinator: MSc Nutrition Research Project (NUT815)

Teaching areas: Food Science; Food Industry; Food Innovation & trends; Food & Nutrition Labelling; New Product Development; Food Sustainability; Research Methods; Nutritional Biochemistry

Other academic responsibilities:

• Research project supervisor and mentor at BSc (Level 6) and MSc (Level 7)
• Subject Expert, HKU Space: BSc (Hons) Food & Nutrition (Ulster-validated provision)
• Experienced Educator (First Steps to Teaching)
• Year Tutor (Food, Nutrition & Dietetics Subject Team)