Holly Neill, PhD

Experience

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  Pais Movement

  Aug 2010 - Jun 2012

  Youth Worker

  - Worked as part of an international team in local high school and church.- Developed, managed and delivered weekly youth programmes in addition to 1-2-1 mentoring.- Collaborated with senior leaders and management at Oak Hills Church (central campus and North Central satellite campus).- Completed intensive leadership and youth work training.- Promoted to role of Team Leader after first year with charity. Led international team of apprentices.

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  Ulster University

  Oct 2014 - Jun 2017

  Grade: First classBSc (Hons) Food & Nutrition with International Diploma in Professional Practice I supported the promotion of the Careers department services. This was achieved by presenting to classes, setting up career stalls, helping at career fairs, and approaching students to sign up for the EDGE award, which recognises extracurricular activities.

  • First Class Honours, BSc (Hons) Food & Nutrition Student

    Aug 2013 - Jun 2017

  • Employability Brand Ambassador

    Oct 2014 - Mar 2015
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  Nestlé

  Aug 2015 - Jun 2016

  Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Trainee

  - Worked specifically on the area of claims including, but not limited to, health claims and nutrition claims.- Designed internal website which was highly praised by those outside of CT-RSA department.- Attended Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Specialist Workshop in Switzerland.- Led global skype training presentations about an IT compliance database.- Proof-read Nestlé Claims Policy prior to public launch.- Prepared for monthly Health Claims Panel, checked submissions and followed up with markets, prepared agenda and kept accurate minutes in the absence of my supervisor who chaired the meeting.- Led high-priority global project which involved communicating one-on-one with senior management.- Supervisor requested one-month contract extension due to my high quality of work and to lead the completion of a high-priority global project involving senior management and Nestlé Research Centre. Show less

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  Ulster University

  Sept 2017 - Oct 2017

  Research Intern

  Researching the impact of B-vitamins supplementation on cognition in older adults- Supported the delivery of The Trinity, Ulster and Department of Agriculture Cohort (TUDA) Study alongside lead researcher- Assisted in participant interviews involving anthropometric measurements, dietary assessment and memory games- Involved with blood processing and delivery of blood samples to local hospital- Prepared participant packs prior to appointments (completing hospital blood forms, labelling blood tubes) - Responsible for data entry to monitor compliance of supplement intake Show less

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  Ulster University

  Jan 2018 - Jun 2018

  Research Assistant

  Researching the effect of B-vitamins on bone mineral density in older adults (OptiAGE study)- Co-led the initial delivery of the 2-year randomised controlled trial- Responsible for telephone recruitment, one-on-one interviews with participants and blood processing- Prepared ethical approval application for an additional food intervention study

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  Ulster University

  Sept 2018 - May 2023

  - Manage, lead, co-ordinate and am responsible for all day-to-day study operations of a human intervention trial determining the bioavailability of dietary N-acylethanolamines and their implication in modulating post-prandial appetite in ileostomists.- Managed the timely execution of a four-way crossover human intervention trial investigating the effect of a polyphenol supplement on cardiovascular measures including flow-mediated dilation.- Prepared study protocol and all documentation (e.g. screening questionnaire, participant information sheet, data collection sheet, sample storage freezer map etc) for three stages of ethical application and subsequently responded to all comments from ethics committees to ensure study approval.- Collaborated with international research institutes as well as the founder and senior management of Activ’Inside, a French foodtech company specialising in the development of natural and innovative botanical active ingredients.- Independently drove intensive media promotion to support recruitment of the human intervention polyphenol trial which included attending local community events, liaising with BBC Radio and local newspapers including the Belfast Telegraph, Coleraine Chronicles and Belfast News Letter.- Guest lecturer on BSc and MSc nutrition and food science modules. Show less Thesis Title: Pork biofortification as a feasible food-based strategy to improve vitamin D intakes.Innovative farm-to-fork research focused on improving the vitamin D content in pork meat by ultraviolet-B (UVB) biofortification in collaboration with industry partners and key stakeholders, Devenish Nutrition and Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).Developed, managed and delivered the successful completion of multiple research projects, balanced with internal targets and priorities for the PhD programme, including:- On-farm UVB biofortification animal studies- Human randomised controlled trial- Dietary modelling using data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS)- Lab analysis of vitamin D and its metabolites in meat and blood using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS)- Systematic literature review investigating vitamin D biofortification in animal and human studies Show less

  • Research Associate in Nutrition Bioactives and Cardiovascular Health

    Apr 2022 - May 2023

  • Research Associate in Agri-Food Nutrition

    Jan 2022 - Mar 2022

  • Part-time lecturer

    Jan 2022 - Mar 2022

  • Laboratory Demonstrator

    Jan 2019 - Jan 2022

  • PHD Researcher

    Sept 2018 - Dec 2021
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  Nutrition4Kids NI

  Oct 2020 - May 2023

  Freelance Science Communication Support

  - Work directly with NHS paediatric dietitian, Dr Kirsty Porter and her team of dietitians.- Content creation for digital channels (primarily Instagram and Facebook).- Support scientific and educational activities and information, including content creation for social media, fact sheet resources and website blogs to drive digital growth.

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  The Nutrition Society

  May 2022 - Nov 2023

  Social Media Editor

  - Manage the UK Nutrition Society Publications Twitter account (@NS_Publications) and create content for digital channels based on the six scientific Nutrition Society journals published by Cambridge University Press.- Critically appraise scientific information and translate it into clear evidence-based messages primarily through the creation of eye-catching infographics for ‘Paper of the Month’ and to spotlight key papers performing well on Altmetrics (e.g. number of downloads, news outlet publications, social media engagement etc).- Report analytics to the Nutrition Society, Cambridge University Press and journal Editor-in-Chiefs and support digital strategy. Show less

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  Yakult UK & Ireland

  Jun 2023 - now

  Science Officer