Associate ProfessorRachel Laws

Rachel Laws is an Associate Professor of Public Health Nutrition at Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition. With a background in dietetics and a decade of experience working across community and policy settings before entering academia, she is committed to translating research evidence into population-level impact. Her work is distinguished by long‑standing, deeply embedded partnerships with government and service providers, enabling the integration of evidence‑based interventions into routine care while also bringing real‑world practice into teaching to develop workforce‑ready graduates.

Her research focuses on developing, testing, and implementing scalable nutrition and movement interventions in the first 2,000 days of life, with a particular emphasis on equity and priority populations. She has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers (80% in Q1 journals) and secured ~$2.88 million as lead investigator, alongside major national and international collaborative grants. As CIA on an NHMRC Partnership Grant (2020–2025), she led an eight-year collaboration with government and community partners to achieve statewide scale-up of the INFANT program across Victoria, delivering sustained practice, policy, and population-level impact.

This translational, equity‑focused approach extends to her teaching and service. She has led curriculum innovation embedding industry‑endorsed training into undergraduate and postgraduate programs, equipping students with workforce‑ready skills while reducing inequities in learning outcomes. She provides strengths‑based, culturally responsive supervision and mentorship to students and early career researchers, fostering diverse academic pathways.

Rachel is Deputy Director of the NHMRC CRE in Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood (EPOCH‑Translate) and leads the First 2000 Days Research Group. Her leadership and impact have been recognised through the Deakin Vice‑Chancellor’s Research Impact Award (2025), Faculty of Health Partnerships in Practice Award (2023), and Victorian Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2023) for knowledge translation.