Dr Caroline Giezenaar PhD

Dr Caroline Giezenaar is an academic researcher who specialised in nutrition science, and more recently is also working in the field of sensory and consumer science. She completed a Bachelor in Nutrition and Health and a Master in Nutritional Physiology and Health Status at Wageningen University (the Netherlands), and a PhD at the Adelaide Medical School, the University of Adelaide (Australia). Since her PhD conferral in 2018, Caroline has obtained several postdoctoral researcher positions in Australia at the Adelaide Medical School, and in New Zealand at the Riddet Institute and the School of Food and Advanced Technology, Massey University.

In 2012, Caroline relocated from the Netherlands to Adelaide to complete her PhD with the aim to determine the effects of ageing on appetite, energy intake regulation, and protein digestion and metabolism. Her research generated novel data which will help to optimize strategies for protein supplementation in older adults, especially those at risk of undernutrition – results especially relevant given the current trend of ageing populations across the globe. Her PhD thesis was awarded with a University of Adelaide Research Medal for academic excellence, and her research findings were published in top journals in the field of nutrition, such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Furthermore, Caroline was highly commended in the category of academic excellence at the International Student Awards (StudyAdelaide 2018) and she receveid several student prizes and travel awards in acknowledgement of her work.

In 2018, Caroline relocated to Palmerston North, New Zealand. Here, she completed a 2-year postdoc researching the effects of dairy protein on tryptophan absorption from the gut, and tryptophan metabolism in the brain. Her project aims to determine whether high tryptophan dairy protein intake increases brain serotonin and melatonin production, as a potential strategy to improve mood and/or sleep. Her creative research ideas resulted in independent research support from the Palmerston North Medical Research Foundation in 2019.

Currently, she works as a postdoctoral research foundation at the Food Experience and Sensory Testing laboratory (FEAST) at Massey University. Here, she works on a collaborative project with the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation aiming to understand motivations and barriers for consumption plant-based alternative proteins (i.e. meat replacements, plant-based milks, algae and seaweed), including sensory and nutritional requirements that the consumer has for these products. The information from this project can be used to effectively produce plant-based proteins to increase sustainability of our diets according to the consumers wants and needs.

Caroline has presented her research findings at multiple national and international meetings. She contributes to the scientific community by providing constructive feedback as a peer-reviewer for scientific articles, and she was admitted to the reviewer board of Nutrients in 2020. Caroline is passionate about sharing her research experience and expertise with students. Her personable and positive approach to teaching has resulted in successful supervision of Masters and PhD students.