Dr Nicola Lowe is a Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire and Director of the UCLan Research Centre for Global Development (C4Globe). After graduating from the University of Liverpool with a PhD in trace mineral metabolism, Nicola spent four years as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of California, Berkeley where she conducted research examining the homeostatic response to dietary zinc depletion. Nicola joined UCLan as a Senior Lecturer in 2000. Nicola’s primary area of research is micronutrient metabolism with a particular focus on Zinc. She has worked on European Union (EU Framework 6), NHS, National Institutes for Health (USA), US Department of Agriculture, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome Trust funded projects. She is currently involved in projects in Pakistan and has recently been awarded a BBSRC grant to examine the effectiveness of a zinc-rich wheat crop to alleviate Zinc deficiency in Pakistan (see below link to BiZiFED project) Nicola is author of over sixty peer reviewed publications. She is a member of the editorial board for the International Scholarly Research Network journal, Nutrition and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Nicola is also the Research Director and a trustee for the Abaseen Foundation. This Lancashire based charity is working alongside community members in rural villages in North West Pakistan, to improve education, nutritional status and health care provision.Specialties: Trace mineral metabolism (zinc)BiofortificationMicronutrient Dietary RecommendationsNutrition support in NW Pakistan