Stijn Soenen

Associate Professor Stijn Soenen is a Senior Post Doctoral Research Fellow at Bond University's Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine, where he joined in 2019. He is a clinical researcher specializing in nutrition with extensive international experience from both the Netherlands and Australia. His work focuses on physiological mechanisms of energy balance, protein metabolism, and nutritional interventions for various health conditions.

• Bond University, Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine (2019-present)
• University of Adelaide and Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) (2011-2018)
• Maastricht University, Netherlands (Education)
• Leuven, Belgium (Education)

Dr. Soenen has established an international reputation in physiological mechanisms underlying energy balance, particularly on the role of dietary protein on body weight, muscle mass and function. His research spans malnutrition (both overnutrition in bariatric surgery patients and undernutrition in frailty), type 2 diabetes in older people, and protein metabolism. His fingerprint research areas include Whey Proteins (100%), Energy Intake (74%), Gastric Emptying (48%), Appetite (47%), Weight Loss (44%), whey protein (37%), Proteins (36%), and Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (32%).

Analysis of Dr. Soenen's recent publications reveals a strong focus on protein metabolism in aging populations, particularly examining how whey protein affects glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and cardiovascular responses in older adults with and without diabetes. His work bridges clinical nutrition with physiological mechanisms, often employing complex clinical study designs in internationally recognized research environments.

• Principal investigator Diabetes Australia Research Trust (DART) Grant (2019)
• NHMRC grant related to muscle protein accretion in ICU patients (2018-20)
• Mary Overton and Florey Fellowships from the Royal Adelaide Hospital Research Foundation (2011-18)
• Research supported by >$2M including 21 project grants

Dr. Soenen has successfully supervised 23 Masters students and 3 PhD students while mentoring 2 post-doctoral researchers. His students have received numerous awards including University Doctoral Research Medals, Dean's Commendations, and Endeavour Research Fellowships. His teaching philosophy emphasizes being approachable, interactive, and creating a positive learning environment to develop critical thinkers. He has extensive experience in curriculum development, lecturing nutrition and sport sciences, and practical teaching. His research has been published in leading journals including the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and he regularly presents at national and international conferences while reviewing papers and grant applications.