Dr Emma Derbyshire is a nutrition expert, an established scientist, an award-winning science writer and presenter. She has experience of working in academic, research and consultancy and media broadcasting settings including radio and television. Emma has written 200+ peer-reviewed nutrition publications and authored the successful Wiley-Blackwell text “Nutrition in the Childbearing Years” which sold internationally. Her recently published new book by Jessica Kingsley Publishers is entitled “ Nutrition for ADHD and Dyslexia – Unlocking the Potential for Learning and Wellbeing ”. She has expertise across a range of nutrition fields including maternal nutrition, neurodiversity, functional foods, immunonutrition and shifting nutrition trends.

Dr Alex Richardson is a world-renowned researcher, educator, speaker and published author; and Founder Director of the UK-based charity, Food and Behaviour (FAB) Research.

Dr Williamson developed a nutritional service at the Centre for Nutrition and Behaviour, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) for young people experiencing their first episode of psychosis - looking at their diet in relation to their illness, and providing a healthier, more nutritionally balanced alternative. This service drew praise from the Government’s Food and Health Forum, which recommended that all other NHS trusts should adopt a similar approach. Since then, Kevin has further developed his nutritional care service for those with psychosis, and also created an accredited training package for healthcare professionals. The RDaSH Trust and their Centre for Nutrition and Behaviour have successfully developed, hosted and are now delivering a series of nutrition studies and training events, some of these funded by charities, national research institutions and industry. In addition to his clinical work and qualifications as a Registered Nutritionist, Kevin has a Masters of Medical Science in Human Nutrition, and recently completed his PhD (University of Leeds, 2023) researching the subject of ‘Nutrition for the Management of Psychosis’. He has also authored a number of academic research publications on the topics of nutrition, mental health and peer-support. Kevin is a highly popular and engaging speaker, with many years’ experience of both University lecturing and Clinical training, as well as having presented his clinical and research work both nationally and internationally. He has also assisted the FAB Research charity since 2008 as a Scientific and Professional Advisor, making a valued contribution to their educational and professional training events, as well as those of many other charities and support groups.

Dr Joseph Hibbeln (CAPT, USPHS Ret.) is a Psychiatrist, Nutritional Neuroscientist Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln was one of the very first investigators to flag the importance of adequate dietary omega-3 intakes for mental wellbeing, carrying out cross-national comparisons of seafood consumption in relation to psychiatric disorders, organizing a key international conference on this theme at the US National Institutes of Health in 1998, and originating the field of omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies in relation to depression. His extensive international collaborations have included: Primary collaborator in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, Bristol, UK, examining the residual effect of nutritional insufficiencies in pregnancy in childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes and relevant gene-nutrient interactions; Lead author on the Lancet 2007 publication of pioneering findings from that dataset - which contributed to multiple US agencies reconsidering their dietary guidelines on fish and seafood intakes in pregnancy. Dr. Hibbeln recently was invited to present to the US National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine to re-evaluate current US Dietary Advice; Providing key input to major systematic reviews and meta-analyses of clinical trials, leading to the establishment of professional treatment guidelines on the use of omega-3 for depression and other psychiatric disorders; Clinical trials of omega-3 for the prevention of suicide, postpartum depression, and antisocial behaviour, including violence; Numerous experimental studies documenting the biochemical, pharmacological and physical effects of changing dietary fat intakes, and their physical and mental health implications. His specialist research areas include the role of omega-3 in depressive and aggressive disorders, and the benefits of fish consumption during pregnancy for children’s brain development – which all the available evidence shows include higher IQ, better psychological and motor skills and more optimal emotional regulation and social behaviours. Now working as a practicing adult psychiatrist with Mindful Health Solutions in El Dorado Hills, California, Dr. Hibbeln is now directly treating people struggling with major depression, bipolar disorders, aggression, ADHD and addictions. He has a special interest in nutritional psychiatry – as he considers that understanding how dietary and nutritional factors can affect both the mind and body, and ensuring adequate brain nutrition, is likely to improve responses to psychiatric medications and other interventions, such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Brain nutrition is crucial to holistic forms of treatment tailored to the individual’s needs. He feels it is critical to ensure that everyone’s brain receives adequate and fundamental nutritional support to optimized their overall mental health. Dr Hibbeln’s extensive research knowledge and experience, his public advocacy, together with his outstanding expertise as a speaker and communicator for public and professional as well as academic audiences, place him in high demand to communicate scientific findings in this field, in addition to his ongoing research collaborations.

Originally from Toronto, Professor Rucklidge did her training in neurobiology (McGill) and Clinical Psychology (University of Calgary). Her interests in nutrition and mental illness grew out of her own research showing poor outcomes for children with significant psychiatric illness despite receiving conventional treatments for their conditions. She has been the recipient of many awards, including the Ballin Award from the NZ Psychological Society for significant contributions to the development or enhancement of clinical psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand, being named as a Woman of Influence in New Zealand in 2015, 2018, and 2021, and a Braveheart award for her contribution to making Christchurch a better place to live. For over a decade, her lab has been running clinical trials investigating the role of broad-spectrum micronutrients in the treatment of mental illness, including ADHD, mood disorders, anxiety and stress. Julia has over 140 peer reviewed publications, including in the Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA and the British Journal of Psychiatry and is currently on the Executive Committee for the International Society of Nutritional Psychiatry Research.  Having witnessed current conventional treatments failing so many people, Julia is passionate about advocating that a good nutritional foundation is central to helping people prevent and recover from mental health challenges.

Dr Gow is a guest researcher and Lead Associate Investigator of the Neuroimaging, Omega‐3 and Reward in Adults with ADHD (NORAA) trial at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, US. This study was the first randomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, clinical trial to test the effects of omega‐3 fats in the brain activity of adults with ADHD. Prior to this role, Dr. Gow was awarded a PhD in Child Neuropsychology from the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. During this time she worked in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and conducted clinical research in children/adolescents with and without ADHD, investigating blood measures of omega-3 fatty acids and assessments of brain function using EEG and Event Related Potentials. She has a Master of Science in Psychological Research Methods (Distinction) from Birkbeck University of London. Her under-graduate Psychology degree, from the University of Kingston, London, was awarded First Class with Honors, and accredited also by the British Psychological Society. Dr. Gow has 14 years of academic research and experience in psychological research in both child/adolescent and adult clinical populations. Her current research integrates multiple modalities including functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging, neuropsychological assessment, genetic sequencing and nutrition/biochemistry. Dr Gow has published 22 peer-reviewed book chapters and scientific papers, and is currently writing a book on Nutritional Neuroscience. She has extensive knowledge in neurodiverse learning and behavioural differences and the effects of dopamine enhancing brain‐selective nutrients. Dr. Gow has provided practical, emotional and educational support to families and children with neurodiversities across London. She has been an active member of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) since 2008 and was awarded one of their New Investigator’s Awards in 2012.

David Rex is a Specialist Dietitian for Highland Council, working in “Health & Social Care – Children’s Services”. He has a lead public health role for Food & Health in schools, nurseries and Children’s Residential Units; and for over 20 years, has been providing specialist Dietetic advice for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as well as other conditions affecting mental as well as physical health, wellbeing and performance. Clinically, he advises on diet and nutrition in relation to children’s mood, behaviour and learning; and on how to deal with the selective eating patterns that are so common in children with ASD and related conditions. He also plays a lead role in health education: he has been heavily involved in the development of the “High 5” Health & Wellbeing programme for Highland primary schools, and is a member of the Highland School Meals Stakeholder group.  David also acts as a specialist advisor to the British Dietetic Association (BDA), and has been a member of FAB's Scientific and Professional Advisory Board, as well as a highly valued speaker at numerous FAB events since 2003. David has a first degree in Chemistry and Food Science, a post graduate Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Masters in Food Policy. He has over 30 years experience of the food system, starting as a “Teenage burger flipper” for a well known fast food chain, and going on to look at food and health from a range of different perspectives, in posts as diverse as: food chemist and technical advisor in the food industry; community and hospital dietitian; and food policy advisor for a Health Authority. He is an advocate for sustainable and socially just food systems, and is passionate about cooking and eating well.

Professor of Neurophysiology, University of Oxford, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Chair of the Dyslexia Research Trust. John Stein studied Medicine and Neurology at Oxford University and then was appointed tutor in Medicine at Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1970. Since then in addition to teaching medical students he has been researching how vision controls movement. With Tipu Aziz, a leading neurosurgeon, he found that deep brain stimulation of the basal ganglia and related structures in patients with movement disorders like Parkinson's disease can relieve both akinesia (lack of movement) and dyskinesia (abnormal movements), by preventing spontaneous oscillations of the motor networks. Likewise, spontaneous oscillations of the pain matrix cause central neuropathic pain; and eliminating these by DBS can alleviate the pain. John is also internationally known for his studies of attentional and eye movement control in dyslexia and related conditions. These have shown that mild impairments in the development of magnocellular neurones in the brain may explain many of the memory, auditory and visual problems associated with dyslexia. This work has enabled him to develop simple treatments, such as coloured filters and omega-3 fish oils, to improve their function and thus greatly improve dyslexics' reading, without endangering their artistic talents. His daughter, Lucy, is a synaesthetic painter. John doesn't cook fish and his brother, TV fish chef, Rick Stein, does not do neuroscience!