The international sports nutrition expert and triathlete Asker Jeukendrup visits the UVic

 The triathlete and leading international expert in the field of sports nutrition, Asker Jeukendrup, will be visiting the UVic-UCC campus in Vic on 15 and 16 November to give two lectures. The first is aimed at students and teaching staff on the degree courses in Nutrition and Dietetics and Physical Education and Sports Sciences, entitled "How to translate scientific information into understandable information for everybody. Mysportscience experience”, and the other, open to the general public, is about “New advances in Nutrition and Athletic Performance”, and will take place in the Aula Magna, at 8.30 am on 16 November.

Jeukendrup has focused his research on the interaction between nutrition (in both the everyday and sports spheres) and exercise, as well as the gastrointestinal disorders that occur during athletic events.  He is the author of several books, including Sports Nutrition: From Lab to Kitchen, which has become the bible for professional athletes wishing to optimise their performance through better nutrition. He is currently director of the portal about sports performance and science, MySportScience (www.mysportscience.com), a popular science website consulted very often by athletes, where he disseminates knowledge of his research using understand language in practical tips that are easy to implement.

Scientist, triathlete and advisor to athletes

He holds a doctorate from the Maastricht University, with a thesis on aspects of metabolism related to the consumption of carbohydrates and fats during physical exercise, and is a professor at the University of Birmingham where he is the director of research at the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences. In 2011, he signed up for PepsiCo to head the Department of Exercise Physiology, and as the head of this area, he has led an international project at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (USA) on the impact of the consumption certain foods on athletes' performance.

His scientific and academic work as a nutritionist is particularly relevant to the practical dimension of his studies, which he has been able to apply to his career as a triathlete. He has worked with elite athletes and leading sportsmen and women from various disciplines including cycling, skating, swimming and tennis. He has also advised teams including Chelsea or Aston Villa, as well as British and American organisations focused on improving athletic performance, such as UK Athletics and the British Olympic Association. He is currently a member of the sports nutrition advisory board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

As a leading expert in the field of sports nutrition and athletic performance, he has had a high profile in English-speaking media outlets. He is a regular contributor to the BBC programme The Science of Sport and has participated in specialised television programmes including Scottrade on the American channel Fox Sports. He also has a significant influence on social networks, with about 28,000 followers on Twitter.