NMI Summit 2025 Speaker

Professor Julia Rucklidge, PhD

Professor Julia Rucklidge, a clinical psychologist, is the Director of Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab at the University of Canterbury. Originally from Toronto, Canada, she is internationally renowned for her research and clinical trials on nutrients and mental illnesses, having given hundreds of talks around the world. Professor Rucklidge has become well-known for her ability to succinctly communicate the latest research relating to nutrition and mental health. She has over 160 peer reviewed publications, including in the Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA, JAACAP, and the British Journal of Psychiatry, with over 10,000 citations. She is currently on the Executive Committee for the International Society of Nutritional Psychiatry Research. Notable achievements include co-authoring “The Better Brain,” a TEDx talk with over 5 million views, a free online course through EdX on Mental Health and Nutrition that has been taken by over 85,000 students, and receiving awards like University of Canterbury Innovation Medal 2024, the Ballin Award from the NZ Psychological Society for her contributions to clinical psychology, Fellow of Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, a Braveheart Award for making Christchurch a better place to live, and being named three times as one of New Zealand’s top 100 influential women. Julia is passionate about advocating that a good nutritional foundation is essential for helping people prevent and recover from mental health challenges.