Email ali.hill@otago.ac.nz
Professional Practice Fellow, Sports Nutrition
Ali Hill is a Senior Professional Practice Fellow in Sports Nutrition, within the department of Human Nutrition. She is responsible for co-ordinating the MAppSc in Advanced Nutrition Practice, and 6-month nutrition placements. Her interests include both sports nutrition (particularly para-sports) and education of nutrition practitioners.
Ali graduated with a BSc (Hons) degree in Plant Science from the University of Glasgow in 2002. Her undergraduate dissertation in plant phenolics piqued her interest in nutrition and she was fortunate enough to receive a Commonwealth Scholarship to allow her to complete an MSc in Nutritional Sciences at Massey University in Palmerston North. She returned to the UK to complete a PhD in Nutritional Immunology at the University of Southampton, examining the effect of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in pregnancy on the immune system of offspring.
During and after completing her PhD, Ali worked in the fitness and leisure industry, predominately as a swimming teacher and triathlon coach. This led to an ongoing fascination with the impact that food can have on sports performance. Ali graduated with distinction from an MSc in Applied Sports Nutrition in 2019 at St. Mary's University. She has worked in sports nutrition since 2012 providing advice to a broad range of athletes, from amateurs to Paralympic athletes and those on the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) in the UK. She provided nutritional support to HSX Antarctica; the first scout to ski to the South Pole and kite ski the return journey in 2019. She is a Registered Nutritionist, Level 3 ISAK anthropometrist, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.