Professor Rachael Taylor

Director, Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre, University of Otago

Rachael Taylor holds the Karitane Chair in Early Childhood Obesity at the University of Otago. She is also Head of the Department of Medicine, Director of the Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre, one of the University’s flagship research centres, and leads the Healthy Weight theme of E Tipu e Rea (A Better Start) National Science Challenge.

She is particularly interested in the interplay between sleep, diet, and physical activity and how these behaviours influence health and wellbeing. She has led many large observational and randomised controlled trials investigating different approaches to effective weight management in children, families, and communities.

Rachael will contribute to the work of each of the three Streams.