Dr. Andrew M. Prentice is a globally recognized authority in nutritional science with over forty years of dedicated field research in Sub-Saharan Africa. He currently serves as Theme Leader for Nutrition & Planetary Health at the MRC Unit The Gambia, affiliated with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, maintaining a continuous research presence at the MRCG Keneba field station since his initial post-doctoral work from 1978 to 1983. Born and educated in East Africa, he received his biochemistry training at the University of Leeds followed by a PhD in Nutrition at Darwin College, Cambridge, establishing the foundation for his lifelong commitment to addressing nutritional challenges in resource-limited settings. After leading the Energy Metabolism and Obesity Group at the MRC Dunn Clinical Nutrition Centre, he joined LSHTM in 1999 as Professor of International Nutrition and founded the MRC International Nutrition Group, creating one of the world's leading research centers focused on nutrition in developing countries.
Dr. Prentice's seminal work has fundamentally transformed our understanding of human energy balance by demonstrating that obesity causation is primarily explained by defects in the regulation of energy intake rather than energy expenditure, a finding that has reshaped global research agendas and been universally confirmed by subsequent studies. His extensive research in The Gambia has generated critical insights into the complex interplay between iron metabolism, infection, and immunity, as well as the epigenetic consequences of maternal nutritional status at conception on fetal development and lifelong disease risk. His investigations into macro- and micronutrient deficiencies in maternal and child health have established new paradigms for understanding how early nutritional interventions can break intergenerational cycles of malnutrition across Sub-Saharan Africa. The practical impact of his work extends beyond academia, directly informing national nutritional policies and global strategies for addressing malnutrition in vulnerable populations through evidence-based interventions.
As a visionary leader, Dr. Prentice has cultivated extensive international collaborations across Kenya, Tanzania, Bangladesh, and India, building research capacity and mentoring generations of African scientists who now lead diverse fields from malaria research to food systems and climate change adaptation. His election as an International Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2023 represents the culmination of decades of distinguished service to global health, following his recognition as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2013 and receipt of numerous prestigious international awards including the Peter-Debye International Science Prize. He remains actively engaged in advancing the MRC International Nutrition Group's mission to gain novel insights into diet-disease mechanisms for developing more effective community and clinical interventions, while expanding his research focus to address the critical intersection of nutrition and planetary health. His continued leadership in major international advisory boards and as a Council Member for the International Union of Nutritional Sciences ensures his enduring influence on global nutrition science and policy for future generations.
