Inaugural Lecture of Professor Gareth Wallis

Join Professor Gareth Wallis for his Inaugural Lecture, hosted at the University of Birmingham's Edgbaston Campus (Aston Webb Building, Main Lecture Theatre, Block C) on Wednesday 12 February 2025. This is a hybrid event: you can register for virtual access via Zoom here. 

'It's just sugar water, isn't it?' Unlocking the science of performance nutrition from inside the laboratory to inside the factory

It’s just sugar water, isn’t it? Referring to sports drinks, this is a question Gareth has been faced with countless times over the years. The answer is probably moot. Clearly, dietary carbohydrates and sugars can have profound metabolic effects on the human body and Gareth has always been fascinated by this. With a sweet tooth, a love of sport, and a passion for science, Gareth has been privileged to be able to contribute to new knowledge and understanding in carbohydrate nutrition and metabolism.

In his lecture, Gareth will focus on his research showing how carbohydrate nutrition can affect human metabolism to influence exercise outcomes relevant for athletic performance and the health effects of regular exercise. He will also share the major influences that have and continue to shape his professional journey, which has seen him on more than one occasion go from inside the laboratory to inside the factory in the pursuit of translating scientific knowledge into practical application. 

Gareth is a Professor of Exercise Metabolism and Nutrition and the Head of Research and Knowledge Transfer within the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham, UK. He is also the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Performance Nutrition. After completing his undergraduate (Birmingham, 2000) and masters (Loughborough, 2001) studies, Gareth worked in applied sports science delivering physiology support for performance athletes (2001-2002). He received his PhD in exercise metabolism and nutrition from the University of Birmingham, UK in 2006 and undertook his postdoctoral training in the Dept. of Integrative Biology at the University of California-Berkeley from 2006-2008.

Professor Wallis then worked in New Product Research at GlaxoSmithKline, within a scientific program developing new nutritional products and health claims. He has been an academic at the University of Birmingham since late 2011 where he conducts research and education in exercise science with a major focus on nutrition and metabolism.  His research goals are to better understand how nutrition can be manipulated to enhance metabolic or adaptive responses to exercise, with a particular focus on macronutrients and their roles in performance, training adaptation and health. His research and approaches adopted aim to generate the translational knowledge needed for practical application within sport, exercise, and health nutrition settings. 

 Everyone is welcome to this event, and all are invited to join Gareth after the lecture for refreshments in the Lapworth Museum.