Kate Sievert is a Research Fellow at Deakin University, holding a PhD in food policy and food politics, as well as a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy) and Master of Public Health. Her research to date has focused on understanding the politics and political economy of the food system, examining the role of power and influence with regard to meat production and consumption, ultra-processed foods, and infant formula. Kate has also worked in policy writing, including for the World Health Organization in Geneva and the Public Health Association of Australia.

Dr Cherie Russell is an Executive Dean of Health Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Deakin University. In her research, Cherie critically examines the food system and supply, with a focus on the equitable distribution of affordable fruits and vegetables; the limitations of nutrient-focussed policy; and the policy solutions to attenuate the proliferation of ultra-processed foods. Cherie is also an executive committee member of the Food and Nutrition Special Interest Group of the Public Health Association of Australia and a Young Scientist for the World Food Forum, a subsidiary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

Sarah Dickie is a Research Fellow in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food at Monash University. She recently completed her PhD in Public Health Nutrition, analysing the use and development of food classification schemes for nutrition policy actions and how the concept of level of food processing can be incorporated in these schemes to effectively target the consumption of ultra-processed foods. Sarah’s research currently focuses on evaluating the implementation of healthy retail food interventions in remote Indigenous communities. Sarah’s research interests include investigating use of policies for the promotion of healthy and sustainable food systems and reducing consumption of ultra-processed foods, improving food environments to support healthier choices, and the development of efficacious food classification schemes for policy actions.

Julie Woods holds an Honorary Associate Professor position with the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. Julie has worked as a public health nutritionist in both public health organisations (Victorian Food and Nutrition Program, Public Health Association of Australia and VicHealth) and academia (Monash and Deakin Universities) where she has lectured and researched in public heath nutrition. Her research interests relate to food regulation and how it contributes to the food environment across a number of issues such as ultra-processed foods, food labelling and classification and food and nutrition related claims. Julie has also been active in public health nutrition advocacy over many years and being a member of Healthy Food Systems Australia allows her to pursue this activity post-retirement. As an added bonus she gets to maintain connections with brilliant younger minds and continue to be inspired by their energy and enthusiasm.

Dr Kate Wingrove is a Research Fellow with a PhD in Public Health Nutrition. Kate’s research and advocacy activities focus on informing policies that promote food security and dietary patterns that are healthy and environmentally sustainable. Kate is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, a Registered Public Health Nutritionist, and a member of the Public Health Association of Australia. 

Dr Kim Anastasiou is a Research Fellow in the School of Public Health, University of Sydney. Her research and advocacy is focused on understanding and improving the health, environmental and equity impacts of food systems. Research projects have included: conceptualising the drivers and impacts of first-food systems on outcomes for infants and young children, determining the health, equity and environmental impacts of Australian food policies, background research to inform the EAT-Lancet 2.0 Planetary Health Diet, investigating the environmental impacts of ultra-processed foods and a wide variety of public health nutrition research projects. 

Kim has advocated for global food systems change through a variety of international forums including: the Nyéléni Declaration on Food Sovereignty (2024-25), the Climate Conference of Parties (2021-22), the FAO’s World Food Forum (2022-23) and the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit. Kim is based in South Australia, but frequently collaborates with researchers and food system advocates across the world.