Dr Nichola Thompson
Senior Lecturer
Organisation unit
College of Health
School of Allied Health and Human Performance
Location
Adelaide University, Playford Building, P1
Room: P1-26
Contact
About me
Dr Nichola Thompson is a Senior Lecturer (Education Specialist) in Nutrition Physiology at Adelaide University whose work sits at the intersection of nutrition science, physiology, undergraduate research, and employability-focused health education. With more than two decades of experience across leading institutions in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, she has developed a distinctive career that combines internationally recognised research expertise with innovative approaches to teaching and curriculum design. Nichola completed a PhD in Physiology at Cardiff University in collaboration with Oxford University, investigating the physiological actions of ghrelin and growth hormone secretagogues.
Her early research career focused on endocrinology, developmental physiology, obesity, and metabolic nutrition. As a Research Fellow at the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute and Auckland Clinical School, she contributed to internationally significant research examining developmental origins of health and disease, metabolic flexibility, obesity prevention, mitochondrial function, and acute pancreatitis. Her research has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including Endocrinology, Nutrition & Metabolism, Pancreatology, HPB, and Obesity Research & Clinical Practice.
Since joining the University of Adelaide in 2011, Dr Thompson has increasingly focused her scholarly efforts on education, curriculum innovation, and creating authentic research and work-integrated learning experiences for students. She has played a leading role in the development of nutrition and health science curricula and has coordinated and developed a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in nutrition physiology, metabolism, lifespan nutrition, research-integrated learning, and research placement programs.A central theme of her educational scholarship is improving student employability through research and work-integrated learning. As Research Placement and Research Integrated Learning Lead, she has developed large-scale programs that connect students with active researchers, industry-relevant experiences, and authentic research projects.
Dr Thompson’s current scholarship explores the impact of research-integrated learning on graduate outcomes, student career readiness, and contemporary nutrition education. She has secured competitive learning and teaching grants investigating the effectiveness of research placements and integrated learning experiences in preparing graduates for professional practice. Her recent research also examines nutrition communication in digital environments, including the evaluation of nutrition information disseminated through social media platforms.
Dr Nichola Thompson is a Senior Lecturer (Education Specialist) in Nutrition Physiology at Adelaide University whose work sits at the intersection of nutrition science, physiology, undergraduate research, and employability-focused health education. With more than two decades of experience across leading institutions in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, she has developed a distinctive career that combines internationally recognised research expertise with innovative approaches to teaching and curriculum design. Nichola completed a PhD in Physiology at Cardiff University in collaboration with Oxford University, investigating the physiological actions of ghrelin and growth hormone secretagogues. Her early research career focused on endocrinology, developmental physiology, obesity, and metabolic nutrition. As a Research Fellow at the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute and Auckland Clinical School, she contributed to internationally significant research examining developmental origins of health and disease, metabolic flexibility, obesity prevention, mitochondrial function, and acute pancreatitis. Her research has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including Endocrinology, Nutrition & Metabolism, Pancreatology, HPB, and Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. Since joining the University of Adelaide in 2011, Dr Thompson has increasingly focused her scholarly efforts on education, curriculum innovation, and creating authentic r...
Read more
Read less
Last updated
on 08/07/2026
by Nichola Thompson