Miaobing Zheng

Dr. Miaobing Zheng is an ARC DECRA Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Innovation at the School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney. She is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritional Epidemiologist with extensive research expertise in applying statistical and machine learning approaches to understand dietary and behavioral factors in early origins of health and disease, particularly focusing on obesity, cardiovascular disease, and emotional behavioral problems.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Nutrition and Dietetics (2012-2015), University of Sydney
• BSc (Nutrition) Honours Class I (2008-2011), University of Sydney

Dr. Zheng's research interests span pediatric obesity epidemiology, public health nutrition, maternal and child health, and nutritional assessment methods. Her work emphasizes the early life origins of chronic diseases, dietary patterns in childhood, and innovative approaches to obesity prevention. She has developed expertise in analyzing complex datasets from National Health Surveys, longitudinal cohorts, and randomized controlled trials.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on longitudinal dietary patterns, early childhood obesity risk factors, and the application of machine learning to predict rapid weight gain in infants. Her research consistently examines the developmental origins of health and disease across multiple domains including nutritional epidemiology, cardiovascular risk markers, and behavioral patterns in young children.

Her significant scientific contributions have been recognized through numerous awards:

• ANZOS Young Investigator Award (2021)
• Australasian Epidemiological Association Early Career Professional Development Award (2021)
• Vice-Chancellor Early Career Research Excellence Award, Deakin University (2022)
• Nutrition Society Australia Early-Career Development and Travel Award (2023)

Dr. Zheng currently supervises four PhD students (three as primary supervisor) with research topics focusing on maternal diet quality, macronutrient intakes, lifestyle patterns, and cardiometabolic health outcomes in childhood. She has secured over $5 million in research funding including an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (2017-2023) and an ARC DECRA fellowship (2024-present), along with multiple NHMRC MRFF grants. She serves as Chair of the ANZOS Early- and Mid-Career Researcher subcommittee and as Council member and Chapter/SIG coordinator of the Australasia Epidemiological Association, demonstrating leadership in her professional community.