Louise Burke

Professor Louise Burke OAM is a Professorial Fellow in the Exercise and Nutrition Research Program at the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University (ACU). She holds a Chair in Sports Nutrition and has been with ACU since 2014, transitioning to full-time in 2020. Her work bridges elite sports science and academic research, with a focus on optimizing athlete performance through nutrition.

Education and Professional Background:
Louise has over 40 years of experience in sports nutrition. She spent 30 years at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), serving as Head of Sports Nutrition and later Chief of Nutrition Strategy. She was the official dietitian for the Australian Olympic Teams from 1996 to 2012.

Research Interests:
Her expertise spans sports nutrition, exercise metabolism, supplements, low energy availability, and ketogenic diets. She investigates how dietary strategies like carbohydrate periodization, fat adaptation, and nutrient timing affect endurance performance, metabolic health, and recovery. Her work often involves elite athletes and addresses real-world challenges in high-performance sport.

Recent Publications Trends:
Her recent articles (2020–2023) focus on cutting-edge topics such as the impact of ketogenic diets on endurance performance, iron metabolism under low energy availability, disordered eating in elite sport, and the reproducibility of metabolic responses. These publications reflect her leadership in evidence-based sports nutrition and consensus guidelines for elite athletes.

Scientific Awards:

• Medal of the Order of Australia (2009)
• Citation Award, American College of Sports Medicine (2009)
• Australia Bulletin Smart 100 Award (2007)
• Distinguished Scholar Award, Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutritionists, USA (2007)
• David R Lamb Excellence in Education Award, Gatorade Sports Science Institute (2007)
• Excellence in Mentoring, Sports Dietitians Australia (2017)

Grants and Advising:
Louise has led multiple funded research projects, including studies on ketone esters (Amazentis, $294K), potato-supported carbohydrate strategies (Alliance of Potato Research and Education, US$140K), and dietary periodization (ACU Program Grants totaling over $1M). She is an HDR Supervisor, though currently not formally accredited. She mentors early-career researchers and collaborates widely across international sports science networks.

Labs and Teams:
She leads research within the Exercise and Nutrition Research Program at ACU and collaborates with the Australian Institute of Sport, Sports Dietitians Australia, and the International Olympic Committee. She is a founding member of Sports Dietitians Australia and serves on the IOC Nutrition Working Group and as Director of the IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition.