New Member Spotlight: Steven Underhill | Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB)

New Member Spotlight: Steven Underhill

Posted by: on Tuesday December 3, 2024 New member spotlight

Welcome New Members

At SNEB, our greatest strength lies in the diverse talents of our community members. To celebrate and showcase this remarkable network, we’re thrilled to launch our Member Spotlight series! By sharing personal stories and achievements, we aim to strengthen connections and foster a deeper sense of belonging, creating a more unified and supportive SNEB community.


Dr. Steven Underhill is a leading researcher with expertise in tropical horticulture and food loss. As Director of the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research, his work focuses on addressing the intersection of horticulture and nutrition-sensitive food systems, particularly in the Pacific region. He is passionate about improving the efficiency and sustainability of local horticultural sectors to enhance access to fresh fruits and vegetables and achieve better nutrition outcomes. Dr. Underhill advocates for stronger collaboration between horticulture and human nutrition disciplines, particularly in trans-disciplinary research teams tackling international development challenges.


What inspired you to become a member of SNEB?

While much of my current research focuses on food loss and waste, I find myself increasing working in close research collaboration with human nutrition research on the wider challenge of nutrition sensitive Pacific food systems.

Are there particular challenges or issues in the field of nutrition education that you are passionate about addressing?

While I assume SNEB has a fundamental focus on nutrition education, in the Pacific nutrition-based outcomes are often limited by the efficiency and sustainability of the local horticultural sector (in terms of the physical and economic accessibility of fresh fruits and vegetables). Many of the human nutrition students aligned to our research programs have limited appreciation of the fundaments of crop production and distribution. In the more challenging space of international development where trans-disciplinary research teams are the norm, I would like to advocate for better connectivity between the parallel field of horticulture and nutrition.

What specific skills or knowledge are you hoping to develop through your involvement with SNEB?

Better understanding of nutrition sensitive food systems and awareness of the discipline


We sincerely appreciate you becoming a part of SNEB! We’re thrilled to have you in our community and are eager to see the contributions you’ll bring. We invite all our members to extend a warm welcome


Not a member of SNEB but interested in joining?

We’d love to have you as part of our community! Follow the link below to learn more about the benefits of membership and to become a part of our mission to promote nutrition education and behavior change. Join SNEB Today!