Dr Giovanna Bermano

Tell us something people may not know about you.

As I work in nutrition people expect me to be fussy about what I eat. On the contrary, I like eating lots of different food. It doesn’t matter if it contains sugar or fat, as long as it is in small quantities. I eat a bit of everything: I just like trying different cuisines -- and I try everything.

What made you apply?

I reached a stage in my career where I felt I was on top of where I wanted to be. I've managed to secure grants, I was well recognised outside the institution and I felt in control of my area of research. I thought it would be nice to be recognised by the university at that level for the work that I've done and what I've achieved at this stage in my career. That’s what pushed me to apply for Reader.

Tell us about your research?

My research mainly focuses on the health and wellbeing of obese individuals. The research is nutrition based but also looks at the cellular level. We sometimes refer to it as molecular nutrition – it’s about understanding what nutrients in a diet do at the cellular level. We are all aware of the obesity problems in our society, and it’s showing no signs of tapering off. We are facing a situation where younger and younger people are becoming obese and develop diabetes or cancer at a young age as a result. If we manage to help these individuals with appropriate nutrition, then we can limit the damage to them in later life.

My research looks at how nutraceuticals – specific nutrients which can be added to different kinds of foods, diets or taken as supplements – can prevent disease and maintain health and wellbeing. By looking at how we can supplement our food with these specific nutrients, this research contributes not only to health but also to the food and drink industry. I’m interested in one of the less known nutrients, selenium. Selenium plays a role in the body antioxidant process. We are all exposed to oxidative stress from the environment or from our diet, so our body has to protect itself from these stresses. We have this defence mechanism in the form of antioxidant proteins or enzymes, and selenium is involved in increasing the amount of these proteins.

There is also the need to identify new nutraceuticals or new sources for them. I do that by taking waste products from the food and drink industry, extract them with new technologies and screening the extracts for biological activities and antioxidant properties.

What are you most proud of?

I’ve been playing an important role in securing the Aberdeen City & Shire City Deal, funding that the Scottish and UK governments give to specific cities to develop them further as a key engine of knowledge-intensive economic growth for Scotland and the UK. After the downturn in oil and gas, they wanted to find different areas to promote. The one I was involved in was in relation to food, drink and agriculture. It was about creating a business case to convince the governments that it's important to invest in the area and in this specific sector. I worked with colleagues from The University of Aberdeen, Scottish Enterprise and the city council to create the bid that went to the government.

We were successful. We secured the money and Opportunity North East has been tasked to deliver on the City Deal. I’m now part of the ONE Food, Drink, and Agriculture Board and I’m still involved in this part of the City Deal, which includes the creation of an innovation hub for agri-food and nutrition. It’s a new facility for industries, and small and medium enterprises, where they can get advice, test their new products and really boost their research and innovation.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

It’s the challenge: the challenge of addressing new research questions. I really get a buzz by setting an experiment to address a specific question. I also enjoy my interactions with people from different backgrounds and cultures to collaborate and talk about the research, but also to find out about their food, what they eat, what they prefer and trying it for myself.

Reader is a Grade 9 role which looks to promote those who have achieved a significant level of activity in Research. If you are interested in applying for a Reader position, take a look at the Annual Appointment Process document on RGyoU.