Giacomo Zanello

I am a Professor in Food Economics and Health and Head of the Agri-Food Economics and Marketing Department at the University of Reading (UK). From 2019 to 2024 I served as Deputy Director of the University of Reading’s Graduate Institute for International Development, Agriculture and Economics.

My research lies at the intersection of food systems, nutrition, and development, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries.

I currently serve as Co-Chair of the Independent Expert Group for the Global Nutrition Report and as an Expert Adviser to United Against Malnutrition & Hunger. I also hold a Visiting Professorship at the School of Agricultural and Food Sciences, ADA University (Azerbaijan).

Previously I was at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine supporting the work of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition on food and nutrition security challenges. From 2012 to 2015 I was a Research Officer at Oxford University’s Department of International Development. As part of the Technology and Management for Development Centre, I conducted research on the diffusion of innovations in low-income countries.