The Waterloo Foundation annual meeting and public lecture 2026
The Waterloo Foundation international conference explores how nutrition impacts mental health.
On Thursday 30 April, the Waterloo Foundation and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute (NMHII) at Cardiff University hosted the annual Waterloo Foundation meeting: Food, Mood, and the Brain.
Researchers, scientists, students and academics gathered to celebrate and share current work on this topic from both national and international universities and research centres.
Professor Jeremy Hall, professor of Neuroscience and co-Director of Waterloo Foundation programme, said: "It’s been a fantastic day with a real buzz. It’s been great to see so many people coming together with an interest in nutrition and mental health."
The interplay between diet, genetics, brain development, and mental health
The meeting was introduced by Professor Adrian Harwood, co-director of Research at the NMHII , who outlined the theme as the emerging and understudied area of psychiatric nutrigenomics, which considers the interplay between diet, genetics, brain development, and mental health.
The first session was then followed by Dr Simon Dyall, Callum Nicholls and Dr Tom Lancaster, who each explored the impact of omega-3 fatty acids in brain health.
The second session focused on nutrition and the microbiology of the brain and included talks from Dr Karolina Skonieczna-Zydecka, who explored the role of psychobiotics in mental health.
Ashmee Almeida then followed and discussed modulating schizophrenia with probiotics before Dr Felix Chan presented on using a lysine-restricted diet as a treatment for epilepsy.
Dr Felix Chan said, "It’s been fantastic. As a researcher in this field, you are often a minority in the world of research, so to be a part of this event and meet like-minded people makes you feel part of a community."
Students compete in a poster competition covering food, mood and the brain
Supported by the Waterloo Foundation, the Developing Minds team held a poster competition for students at all levels on the theme of food, mood and the brain. Attendees were encouraged to vote for their favourite poster, and out of 18 entries, the competition ended in a draw, with both Dr Peter Richardson and Lara Lennon receiving prizes gifted by the Waterloo Foundation for their posters.
One student reflected on the experience, saying: "The opportunity gave me experience presenting my poster and research and had a brilliant reception from everyone I spoke to."
Public lecture explores gut and brain ‘ecosystem’
After a wine reception, Dr Karolina Dec, Research Associate at the Developing Minds programme, welcomed everyone to the Waterloo Foundation public lecture. Dr Dec highlighted the ongoing collaboration between Cardiff University and the Waterloo Foundation and thanked the Waterloo Foundation for their continued support.
She then introduced Dr Ally Jaffee, multi-award-winning NHS doctor specialising in psychiatry, a mental health speaker and advocate, and Nutri tank co-founder, whose public lecture focused on the benefits nutrition can have for brain health.
Outlining her experience, Dr Jaffee said she first saw the health benefits of diet and wellness before starting her medical degree and then found that neither were valued or prioritised in healthcare.
She emphasised the importance of upskilling NHS staff on the benefits of nutrition so everyone within the healthcare system can work together to promote nutritional wellness alongside medication.
"The gut and the brain are an ecosystem. New research is suggesting that if you improve gut health you could improve the efficacy of medicine."
Her lecture highlighted the challenges of ultra-processed foods and, at the other end of the spectrum, the rise of ‘health food’ supplements promoted widely on social media without clear guidance or evidence. She also acknowledged the challenges to ensuring this conversation about nutrition and health reaches the most vulnerable in society.
It was an engaging talk, and Dr Ally Jaffee encouraged the feeling that no matter your background or role, nutritional wellness should be available and can be beneficial for everyone.
Thanks to the Waterloo Foundation and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute for hosting such a productive day.
Read more about the work of the Waterloo Foundation on their website.