Dr Jo Harrold
Dr Jo Harrold is Dean of Psychology and a Senior Lecturer in Appetite and Obesity in the Department of psychological sciences, University of Liverpool.
She is a behavioural neuroendocrinologist with an interest in the processes involved in food intake and energy balance. Her research covers a broad spectrum of the control of the appetite system from preclinical models through to man.
Her early research characterised the homeostatic and hedonic control systems within the brain before progressing to examine pharmacological, dietary and psychological manipulations of human eating behaviour. She has carried out a number of weight management interventions including involvement in the WRAP trial investigating the role of commercial weight management providers in primary care.
Recently, her research has focused on early eating experiences and the development of dietary behaviour.
Jo is Director of the Human Ingestive Behaviour Laboratory where she has established an Infant feeding laboratory. Here studies examine the development of food preferences in children and in particular the impact of prenatal nutrition, maternal feeding style and parental feeding practices. The laboratory also handles proof-of-concept studies and interventions for the food and beverage sectors.
Jo participated in the EU FP7 Satiety Innovation SATIN project to develop novel foods for appetite control using novel processing technologies to alter food structure and is currently a lead on the SWITCH trial examining the impact of artificial sweeteners on appetite in the context of appetite weight management and the EU H2020 SWEET trial examining the impact of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers on health, obesity, safety and sustainability.
Jo contributed to European regulatory work on the scientific substantiation of health claims as a scientific expert on EFSA’s sub-working group on weight management, glucose and insulin control, and physical performance.