Barbara R Cardoso

Dr Barbara R Cardoso is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nutrition Dietetics & Food at the School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, and affiliated with the Victorian Heart Institute (VHI). She holds a PhD and Master’s in Nutrition from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, with prior academic training from the Federal University of Santa Catarina and Cruzeiro do Sul University. She has conducted research in Brazil and Spain, and maintains an honorary appointment at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (2016–2021).

Her research focuses on the biochemistry of selenium and the health impacts of nut consumption, particularly in relation to age-associated cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. She integrates expertise in nutrition, clinical trials, analytical chemistry, proteomics, and molecular biology. Her work contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially in health and well-being.

Recent publications emphasize systematic reviews on selenium’s role in depression and kidney disease, and experimental studies on walnut polyphenols and cognitive function. Her research demonstrates a strong trend toward understanding how dietary components modulate oxidative stress, inflammation, and neurocognitive outcomes.

• Advancing Women's Success Grant program (2023)
• Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Fellowship (2017)
• Andrew Ramsden Monash Health Translational Precinct Early Career Researcher Collaborative Award (2020)
• CASS Foundation Travel Award (2018)
• Florey Postdoc Association Training Award (2015)

Dr Cardoso supervises Honours and HDR students and is accepting PhD candidates interested in selenium biochemistry and nut-based dietary interventions. She is a Chief Investigator on a major study on cardiovascular exercise and cognitive decline post-stroke. She also serves as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Nutrition and has contributed to public discourse through media appearances and public lectures on ultra-processed foods and brain health.

She is actively involved in teaching, serving as unit coordinator for NUT3008 - Precision and Personalised Nutrition and co-coordinator for NUT2104 - Nutritional Biochemistry in the BSc Nutrition Science program.