Oliver Odell

Oliver holds a PhD in Nutrition and Human Metabolism from the University of Birmingham, which was part of a Doctoral Training Programme funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Oliver’s work focused on dairy nutrition, specifically trying to understand the metabolism of the milk sugar lactose in humans, to try to identify new applications for this low value, side stream product of the dairy industry. He has run human volunteer studies, in university laboratory and hospital settings across the country. He is interested in the intersection of nutrition and other modifiable lifestyle factors and healthcare, as well as life sciences and health more broadly.

Oliver also spent time working with the industrial partner of his PhD, a major European dairy ingredients company. He ran a market research project into consumer habits to identify gaps in product offerings and nominate new ingredients and products for development. This built on his previous experience in market research, throughout his undergraduate degree at the University of Exeter. Throughout his PhD, Oliver taught undergraduates extensively, from lecturing to running laboratory sessions. He particularly enjoyed the process of breaking down complex topics and explaining them to students. He is also an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Oliver is a passionate scuba diver, having recently completed his rescue diver qualification, he has dived extensively in Europe, Asia and Africa. Oliver is also a competitive powerlifter in his free time though has a keen interest in other strength sports. Throughout 2021 he volunteered with St John Ambulance to assist with the vaccine rollout, administering vaccines and helping to organise the day to day running vaccine centres.