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The Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition has an international reputation for its research into the relationship between diet and the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer.

The Unit's clinical research informs the work of governments and the food sector.

Find out more about our BSc Nutrition programme

The Unit's current research

The group is currently researching the following areas:

  • cardiometabolic health
  • food sustainability
  • public health nutrition
  • diet and cognition
  • immunity and inflammation.
The Unit does broad-reaching nutrition research, and of course having the involvement with the students is really important because it brings new energy to the group and allows these research projects to progress with their help. Students also assist in publishing work, so a lot of the work they do for their BScs and PhDs particularly, are out in the public domain and will increase the evidence base for nutrition research and policy development.

Professor Julie Lovegrove

Head of the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition

Opportunities for students

The Hugh Sinclair Unit is used by all students on the following courses:


As an undergraduate, you will use the Unit during your practical classes and your final-year project, and you may get involved with teams running studies in the Unit. Some of our graduates continue their studies here with a PhD, so those students also get involved with the research within the Hugh Sinclair Unit.

Learn more about the Hugh Sinclair Unit

Find out about our research or volunteer to participate in a variety of exciting nutrition-related research studies.

Discover the Hugh Sinclair Unit

The Flavour Centre

Understanding the chemistry of flavour is crucial to developing successful new products. Our Flavour Centre helps to ensure that both new and existing products are as appealing as possible.

Sensory Science Centre

The Sensory Science Centre provides high quality sensory evaluation data for industry, as well as the University's research and teaching programmes. Sensory evaluation is vital in gaining an understanding of how we perceive flavour, taste and texture in food.

Flow Cytometry Suite

The Flow Cytometry Suite provides services to investigate the activities of pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements.
Athena SWAN Silver Award