Dr Ebunoluwa Awotunya

Teaching Fellow in Nutrition and Health

Biography

Background

Dr Ebunoluwa Awotunya is a registered dietitian and food systems researcher specialising in food systems, nutrition, and public health. Ebunoluwa currently works as a Teaching Fellow in Nutrition and Health and Assistant Cohort Lead for the MSc Global Food Security and Nutrition at the University of Edinburgh, supporting undergraduate and postgraduate teaching through lectures, tutorials, assessment, teaching materials, and student engagement.

Her doctoral research at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, explored the multi-level factors shaping food choices and acquisition practices among slum dwellers in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria, funded by the Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (FaNSI). Using GIS-based vendor mapping, household surveys, and qualitative interviews, the research examined how food system, food environment, and household-level factors shape food choices in rapidly urbanising contexts.

Ebunoluwa holds a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics (First Class Honours) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, where she graduated as the top student in the College of Food Science and Human Ecology, and an MSc in Nutrition and Dietetics (Distinction) from the same institution, with a dissertation examining food security and the nutritional status of mothers and under-five children in Lagos State.

Qualifications

PhD in Food Science and Marketing Economics, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom

MSc in Nutrition and Dietetics, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

Undergraduate teaching

Delivers and supports teaching on the undergraduate challenge course Healthy Eating for People and Planet.

Postgraduate teaching

Leads tutorials in the Foundations of Nutritional Epidemiology course and contributes to the moderation of its assessments. Also contributes short content to courses on the MSc Global Food Security and Nutrition programme.

Current research interests

My current research interests include food security and nutrition security, particularly how food system and food environment factors drive food access, acquisition practices, and dietary practices in low-income urban populations. I am also interested in how these drivers shape diet quality and nutrition outcomes in these contexts.

Project activity

I work on a variety of projects related to food systems, with a particular focus on the drivers of dietary practices, nutrition security, and food access in low-income urban populations. Below are a few examples of past projects.  

Past project grants

Drivers of diet quality and nutrition security among slum dwellers in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria: This doctoral research examined the multi-level factors shaping food choices and acquisition practices among slum dwellers in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria. I looked at food system drivers such as economic, socio-cultural, environmental, and political factors, alongside food environment factors including price, affordability, and vendor relationships, and household-level factors such as food preferences and nutritional knowledge. Using GIS-based vendor mapping, household surveys, and qualitative interviews, the research aimed to generate insights to inform equitable food-policy and nutrition interventions in rapidly urbanising contexts. This project was supported by the UKRI Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (FaNSI).

Household food security and nutritional status of mothers and under-five children in Lagos State, Nigeria: This MSc research examined household food security and the nutritional status of mothers and under-five children in Lagos State, Nigeria. I analysed household food access and nutrition outcomes using dietary diversity and food insecurity indices to identify community-level nutrition policy gaps, with statistical analysis conducted in SPSS. This project was supported by a Dufil Prima Foods Postgraduate Award.

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