ProfessorWelma Stonehouse

Professor Welma Stonehouse (née Oosthuizen) is a highly accomplished nutrition scientist with over 30 years of experience across academic and research roles in South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. Her expertise spans nutrition interventions for preventative health and chronic disease management, with a focus on industry collaboration and translational research. She has led numerous large-scale multidisciplinary research projects, secured over AU$9 million in research funding, published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, successfully supervised 28 PhD/MSc Nutrition and Dietetic students, and demonstrated a strong commitment to mentoring the next generation of researchers while fostering inclusive, supportive research environments.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to nutritional science, Welma received the Muriel Bell Award from the Nutrition Society of New Zealand in 2013. She is an active member of the national and global nutrition community, serving on various boards and playing pivotal roles in founding the Oceanic Nutrition Leadership Platform (ONLP) and the Federation of Oceanic Nutrition Societies (FONS). She is currently the Immediate Past President of the Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA), Treasurer of the International Union of Nutrition Sciences (IUNS), Director of the Australian Nutrition Trust Fund (ANTF), and a committee member of FONS, as well as an immediate past-chair and working group member of ONLP.