Rate My Professor Sheila Skeaff

Professor Sheila Skeaff is a Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago. She earned an MSc in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of Guelph in Canada and a PhD in Human Nutrition from the University of Otago. Her research examines the trace element status of populations, with particular emphasis on iodine and fluoride in vulnerable groups including children and pregnant women. She investigates the consequences of mild iodine deficiency on normal growth, development, and cognition. Skeaff developed and validated an online questionnaire to measure food literacy in children and used it to assess the impact of school gardens on food literacy in New Zealand. In sustainable nutrition, she leads the Metrics and Management theme of Food Waste Innovation Otago, measuring food waste in primary production, retail, and food service sectors such as university halls of residence and aged care, while developing reduction strategies and modifying behaviors.

Skeaff has a long-standing career at the University of Otago, where she has supervised over 50 postgraduate students since 2004. She served as President of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand for six years, Vice-chair of the trans-Tasman Expert Working Group reviewing Australian/New Zealand Nutrient Reference Values for Iodine, member of a World Health Organization external expert group revising iodine indicators, and Chair of the Oceania Nutrition Leadership Platform. She coordinates and teaches the course HUNT 141: Understanding Human Nutrition. Her teaching excellence earned the Ako Aoteara Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award in 2018 and the Otago University Students' Association Supervisor of the Year Award in 2022, both overall and for the Division of Sciences. Skeaff serves on the editorial boards of Maternal and Child Nutrition and Frontiers in Nutrition. Key publications include 'Food loss and waste in New Zealand: A baseline estimate' (2025), 'Sodium, potassium and iodine excretion and blood pressure of New Zealand school children: A cross-sectional study and comparison with recommended guidelines' (2025), and 'Aotearoa New Zealand Baseline Food Loss and Waste Project: Final Report' (2025). She presented her Inaugural Professorial Lecture on balancing food, fact, and fiction.