Skip to main content

Staff Profile

Professor Lynn Frewer

Professor of Food & Society

Background
Lynn has academic interests in all areas of food and society, including those areas which require transdiciplinary collaboration between the social and natural sciences. Lynn is also interested in translating the results of research into actional policy recommendations.
Career

  • Professor, Food and Society at the Newcastle University (from January 2011).
  • Professor, Food Safety and Consumer Behaviour, Wageningen University , the Netherlands (2002-2010, continuing as Emeritus)
  • Head , Consumer Science Group at the Institute of Food Research, UK (1998-2002).
  • Senior Research Scientist (Institute of Food Research, Reading, UK, 1992-1998)
  • Previous appointments as Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Psychiatry, London, 1990-92) and as lecturer, University of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 1998-1990).   
Examples of Committee Membership (recent)
  • Member, Scientific Advisory Board, European Joint Programming Initiative, “A Healthy diet for a healthy life” (From 2011).
  • Member, Consumer Science Task Force, “Food for Life” Technology platform (from 2011).
  • Member, UK FSA Social Science Research Committee (from 2011)
  • Member, International Scientific Advisory Committee, AFMnet, (Advanced Food and Materials Network), Canada (Since 2002)
  • Member, Scientific Advisory Board, GM and sustainable food production, MISTRA (Swedish Environmental Funding Agency (2010)
  • External Science Advisory Panel, CEFIC Long Rang Research Initiative (expert member since 2001, Chair since 2009)
  • Chair, ILSI expert groups, (a) Consumers and food technology (2009-2011) and (b) Food risk communication (from March 2011).      

Education

  • PhD Applied Psychology, University of Leeds (1987)
  • MSc Ergonomics, University College London, UK (1983)
  • BSc Psychology, 2i, Bristol University, UK (1991)
For a full list of my publications please see my Google Scholar Profile
Research

 

       Current Research Interests

  • Understanding and measuring societal and individual responses to risks and benefits associated with food, health, sustainability and safety. 
  •  Developing and testing risk (benefit)communication strategies and other public health interventions related to food choice, including policy translation of scientific results.
  •  Developing qualitative and quantitative methodologies to understand attitudes and behaviours related to food, (including both microbiological food hazards and societal and consumer responses to emerging food production technologies
  • Stakeholder analysis and operationalising scientific foresight regarding research agenda setting, policy and governance in the area of emerging food technologies, and food and agricultural risks.
  •  Adapting and applying systematic literature review methodologies to social science publications in the area of consumers and food choice
  •  Developing new approaches to assessing social-economic impacts of food risks and other food issues.
  •  Evaluating the effectiveness of public engagement in the agrifood sector, as well as measuring policy impact

Grants awarded

 Lynn has had extensive involvement in EU projects, primarily in the area of social science and the (agri) food sector (20 to date, including projects starting in 2011), and have been workpackage leader or coordinator in many of these. Recent examples include Pegasus (scientific coordinator), Safefoods (Workpackage leader in Consumer Behaviour), Europrevall (theme leader, Socio-economic issues), Qualibra (workpackage leader), Go-global (workpackage leader), INNOVA (workpackage leader) and BROWSE (workpackage leader). In addition, Lynn has been PI for funding from, inter alia, the DUTCH NWO and VWA, UK DEFRA and industry bodies such as the Mobile phone industry board, SUSCHEM. Whilst employed in the UK I have been awarded research grants from the UK FSA, DEFRA, DoH, and BBSRC CSG .

Publications