Bio

Nile Nair is a final-year international PhD candidate from Fiji in the Nutrition Department with a focus on nutritional epidemiology. Trained as a clinical geneticist and surgical researcher, his clinical research has primarily focused on clinical trials of maternal-fetal health and diet, the genetics of inflammatory bowel disease, microbiome interactions with disease, and novel biomarkers of chronic diseases.

His initial work at Harvard involved studying the effects of climate change and the accelerated nutrition transition on indigenous populations in the Pacific region through the lens of dietary colonialism, coral reef health, and evolutionary mismatch theory.

In his ongoing research, he explores the intersection of climate justice, human nutrition, and planetary health. This involves the validation of a Planetary Health Diet Index (based on EAT-Lancet 2019) and an investigation into the cardiometabolic health implications of adopting a planet-conscious diet. His advocacy centers on promoting sustainable dietary guidelines to mitigate the greenhouse impact of global food systems. Additionally, his work encompasses addressing the structural violence inherent in the current climate crisis and its disproportionate impact on minority groups in the United States and worldwide.

Given his unique blend of expertise encompassing climate change resilience, health equity, epidemiology, machine learning, and big data analysis, Nile’s long-term vision is to channel this interdisciplinary prowess and collaborate closely with private and public sector leaders. Through strategic counsel and data-driven insights, Nile endeavors to guide organizations and leaders towards a harmonious synergy of human well-being and planetary health.

Research Interests

• Climate Change
• Epidemiology
• Nutrition
• Metabolomics
• Global Food Systems
• Microbiome
• Genetics
• Maternal-fetal Health
• Clinical Research