Professor Rebecca Golley, a Deputy Director at Flinders University’s Caring Futures Institute, has received the Vice-Chancellor’s title of Matthew Flinders Professor for distinguished contribution to the university through research.

Professor Raymond Chan, Director of the Caring Futures Institute, says: ‘Flinders University recognises Professor Golley for her sustained contribution to research by attracting external funding, researcher mentoring, and quality supervision of HDR students.

‘Her research leadership and service to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences in roles within the Caring Futures Institute has been outstanding.’

Since 2021, Professor Golley has worked as Caring Futures Institute Deputy Director while managing a diverse research program and overseeing her team.

With a PhD in Nutrition and Dietetics (Flinders University, 2006), Professor Golley has held external  fellowships, and has been Chief Investigator for two National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centres of Research Excellence. She was also Flinders University’s lead on a national consortia with CSIRO and Nutrition Australia for the $3.9M VegKIT project.

Her program of research has transformed approaches to the prevention and management of childhood obesity, improving the routine monitoring and measurement of obesity-related behaviours.

‘My research focuses on families, leveraging the range of settings where children and caregivers live, eat, work, learn and play. This is important because eating habits formed in childhood influence health outcomes.

‘With only 6% of children eating enough vegetables, and over a third of children’s energy intake coming from nutrient-poor sources, my research focus on a healthy start to life aims to improve health across the life course,’ she says.

Professor Golley says she feels privileged to have played a role in establishing the Caring Futures Institute and strengthening Flinders research.

‘Flinders has been a terrific place to work over the last 5 years. It has been a privilege to have contributed to the establishment of the Caring Futures Institute and to see Flinders research go from strength to strength. It is an honour to be awarded the title of Matthew Flinders Professor and to be recognised amongst peers in this way.’