Lea Ellen Matthiessen

Lea Ellen Matthiessen is a postdoctoral researcher (Research Fellow) at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports (NEXS) within the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen, affiliated with the Nutrition and Health section. She holds an MSc in Food Technology from the Technical University of Denmark and a BSc in Nutritional Sciences and Home Economics from Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.

Education:

• MSc in Food Technology, Technical University of Denmark (2019-2021)
• BSc in Nutritional Sciences and Home Economics, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (2012-2015)

Research Focus: Lea investigates food system transformation through a consumer lens, specializing in dietary transitions and wicked problems affecting planetary health. Her work applies system dynamics to analyze interventions, with current emphasis on food processing-nutrition relationships. She developed the Sustainable and Healthy Diet Index (SHDI) and examines organic consumption patterns and food waste reduction strategies across diverse populations.

Research Trends: Her recent publications (2023-2025) reveal strong cross-cultural focus on sustainable diets, with methodological innovations in dietary assessment tools and food system analysis. Key themes include organic food behavior linkages, processed food impacts, and regional dietary patterns across Europe and Northern Africa.

Projects:

• UPDATE project: Investigating processed foods' health effects through nutritional quality and consumer perception studies
• SysOrg study: Developing the Sustainable and Healthy Diet Index for cross-regional comparisons
• INSUM Workshop: Establishing health indicators for eco-region dietary cohorts

Professional Engagement: Active in Sustainable Change Makers network and participated in the 2021 Food Systems in Transition workshop, focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration for food system innovation.