Nutrition in the first 1000 days of life is critical in determining long-term health outcomes. We have previously shown that malnutrition during this fragile window increases the risk for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) during adulthood. Hence, understanding determinants of early-life development is crucial to ensure long-term health.

My bench-to-bedside study aims to improve the nutritional status of children in low and middle-income countries, with a special focus on those convalescing from malnutrition-associated diseases and children at high-risk of malnutrition. This will be done by combining multi-omics approaches, especially metabolomics and proteomics, and big data. I will conduct research in Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Zimbabwe, Zambia through collaborations and consortia I fostered with top scientists in the field.