Dr. Áine Hennessy

Dr. Áine Hennessy is a Lead Investigator at the INFANT Research Centre, and Lecturer in Nutrition at the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences in University College Cork.

Her research aims to advance understanding of biological mechanisms of diet-related disease and ill-health and to provide actionable, scalable solutions to global public health challenges using data-driven, transdisciplinary, and impact-oriented approaches. She uses nutritional epidemiology to advance our understanding of the impact of maternal and child nutrition on health outcomes and on our environment.

Career profile:

• 2021 – present: Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences, UCC
• 2019-2021: Senior Postdoctoral Researcher (SFI-funded SIRG award), UCC
• 2014-2019: Postdoctoral Researcher, UCC
• 2013: PhD in Nutrition [The role of fortified foods in the diets of young children and adults in Ireland], UCC
• 2010-2014: Research assistant & PhD candidate, UCC
• 2010: BSc in Nutritional Sciences, UCC 

Professional Activities/Achievements:

• Áine is a member of the Nutrition Society since 2010, the UCC Ambassador to the Nutrition Society and an Irish Section committee member since 2024. She is also a member of the  NutriPD Community of Practice.
• She is an editor at the European Journal of Nutrition (Micronutrient Section).
• Member of the Irish Department of Health’s Folic Acid Strategy Food Fortification Working Group since 2025.