Wendy Wills

Professor Wendy Wills is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) at the University of Hertfordshire, leading strategic research initiatives and overseeing business and innovation. She previously directed the Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC) and was Associate Dean (Research) in the School of Health and Social Work. Her academic role is complemented by her leadership of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East of England, focusing on prevention and early detection in health and social care.

Wendy holds a PhD in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2003). Her research expertise spans food practices, public health nutrition, obesity, and social inequalities, with a focus on socio-economic determinants of health across the life-course. Her work contributed to a World-Leading impact case study for the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF).

Key projects include investigations into food insecurity among older populations, school food environments, and pandemic impacts on food practices. She has secured grants from NIHR, ESRC, and the Food Standards Agency, including directing the NIHR Public Health Intervention Response Studies Team (PHIRST). Wendy emphasizes public engagement, co-producing research with charities, NHS stakeholders, and local authorities to improve health outcomes.

Her innovative initiatives include the Food in Later Life board game (developed with Focus Games) to train caregivers and a film launched during Malnutrition Awareness Week. She actively communicates findings via Twitter (@Wendy_J_Wills) and LinkedIn.