Thilini Chandrasiri, a Doctoral candidate from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, won the NIHR GHR SPARC Award and undertook a research collaboration at the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to have won the competitive GHR SPARC Award (Short Placement Award for Research Collaboration) by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).”
During my placement at the Nutrition section, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, from September to November 2024, I engaged on assessing the dietary quality of 8-12-year-old school children in Sri Lanka using food-associated urinary metabolites, which facilitated my Ph.D. study. This study marks Sri Lanka’s first objective evaluation of dietary quality among school children.
“My time at Imperial College London was invaluable for my career development as a researcher in nutrition and metabolism. This placement provided me with hands-on experience in using advanced tools like ¹H-NMR spectroscopy for metabolomic dietary assessment. I underwent training, conducted ¹H-NMR analysis on the urine samples of the Sri Lankan pediatric population, and created metabolite patterns to understand the dietary habits of the children.”
The anticipated outcomes of this research include insights into the relationship between diet quality and nutritional status, validation of dietary intake against urinary metabolites, and policy recommendations for improving child nutrition in Sri Lanka.
“I gained practical skills, enhanced my research and analytical capabilities, and built networks with leading experts like Prof. Gary Frost and Dr. Garcia Isabel Perez. Additionally, I worked on a research paper focused on predicting dietary intake via school midday meal photographs using established Artificial Intelligence techniques. I also had the opportunity to present my current Ph. D research findings at their Journal Club.”
These experiences will significantly contribute to my Ph.D. and future research endeavors, ultimately aiming to improve the health and nutritional status of school children in Sri Lanka.
“I would like to express my gratitude to GHRU and NIHR for bringing this opportunity to my attention. My heartfelt thanks to my Ph.D. supervisors for their unwavering support and insightful advice, which has been invaluable throughout this SPARC journey.”
I strongly encourage all NIHR academy members to apply for this opportunity.
The SPARC Award has truly created a “SPARK” in my academic journey.
