Michael Gibney, a prominent Irish food scientist and globally acclaimed human nutrition researcher, sadly passed away on February 23rd, 2024, following a brief illness. Born on July 4th, 1948, Gibney made significant contributions to the field throughout his life.
Before joining University College Dublin (UCD), Gibney was a professor of human nutrition at Trinity College Dublin’s medical school for over 20 years. He then filled the roles of professor of food and health and director of the UCD Institute of Food and Health from 2006 to 2013 at UCD.
A highly industrious researcher, Gibney spearheaded many significant research initiatives such as studies on the dialogue between diet and genes (the national nutrition phenotype database) and food consumption tendencies in Ireland (the national adult nutrition survey). Furthermore, he was engaged in EU-funded collaborative research on personalised nutrition and exposure to chemicals in human food.
At Trinity, Gibney garnered global recognition for his research on metabolic nutrition, that is, the physiological interaction between food and the body, and molecular nutrition, that is, genes associated with food intake. His expertise was also widely respected in the sphere of public health nutrition, including nutritional guidelines.
Apart from presiding over the nutrition committee of the Royal Irish Academy, he was notably the first Irish individual to be elected as a fellow of the American Society for Nutrition. This honour only added to his array of services on health advisory boards and committees of both national and international food agencies and companies. As part of the EU’s scientific committees for food during the 80s and 90s, Gibney also advised the European Commission during the BSE crisis.
In 1992, he led the first EU expert group that outlined the daily nutrient requirements for healthy individuals. Three years later, he presided over the FAO/WHO joint consultation that set forth the food-based dietary guidelines, which are still practised. Additionally, as a longstanding affiliate of London’s Nutrition Society, Gibney introduced a new academic journal on public health nutrition and textbooks on human nutrition during his presidency in 1994.
From 2013 to 2018, Gibney held the position of board chairman for the Irish Food Safety Authority. Additionally, he served in Ireland’s task force that targeted hunger issues, delivering a report to the UN General Assembly in 2008 about how to address the fundamental causes of hunger in less developed nations. In his 2013 TEDx UCD talk focused on hunger, he highlighted the criticality of a baby’s initial 1000 days, inclusive of the potential effects of maternal malnutrition during pregnancy.
For over three decades, Gibney was a member of the Nestlé Nutrition Council, providing guidance to corporate and technical leaders regarding the most recent advancements in adult and children’s nutrition. He spent several years as the head of an international research group for cereal producers. Despite often being questioned about these roles, he firmly maintained that collaboration with the food industry was necessary and did not compromise his scientific honesty.
In addition to being an abundant writer of popular science articles and academic papers, Gibney penned three books, namely: “Nutrition, Diet and Health” (1986), “Something to Chew On: Challenging Controversies in Food and Health” (2012), and “Ever Seen a Fat Fox? Human Obesity Explored” (2016). Labeling himself an iconoclast, he relished in contesting popular beliefs and populist policies about topics ranging from the tax on sugary beverages to the view of highly processed foods. Drawing on the words of an early mentor, he frequently expressed the belief that there are no inherently good or bad foods, but rather good or bad dietary choices. He would affirm that a balanced diet – one that provides optimal nutrients – qualifies as a good diet.
He reasoned that social and cultural changes were more significant contributors to the obesity epidemic than factory-made food. He further asserted that food manufacturers were left with no other option than to invest in food reformulation or discontinue products that didn’t meet nutritional guidelines. Described by ex-students as an amusing, generous, fair and inspiring lecturer and mentor, his advice to novice researchers was to demonstrate patience, determination, and resilience.
He emphasized that succeeding in academia goes beyond just conducting research or imparting detailed nutrition knowledge; it encompasses life in its fullness, including challenges and setbacks. He encouraged embracement of change and the courage to question established norms.
The change of Gibney’s role from Trinity, accompanied by a team of 23 researchers, to UCD in 2006 was quite a spectacle in the realm of academia. Public health professor Patrick Wall at the UCD medical school dubbed Gibney a “titan in the field of nutrition” both at UCD and TCD. Wall asserted that Gibney had influenced many lives and was an exceptional youth motivator.
Albert Flynn, a retired professor in nutrition at the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University College Cork, applauded Gibney as an “innovative thinker and straightforward conversationalist.” He stated that Gibney believed that challenging conventional wisdom was the only path for science to advance. Furthermore, he said that Gibney had a forward-looking perspective and managed to assemble a large research consortium to test the potential and limitations of various nutritional ideas.
In the early nineties, Gibney, Flynn, and Sean Strain, Nutrition Professor at the University of Ulster, formed a cooperative body known as the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance. This movement elevated the international recognition of human nutrition research carried out on this isle.
Born in North Dublin on Collins Avenue, Gibney was the second oldest sibling among six children of Michael Gibney, a carpenter turned unionist, and Rosemary, a nurse. Upon finishing secondary school at Marian College in Ballsbridge, Dublin, Gibney pursued a degree in agricultural science at UCD spurred by his interest in nutrition. He graduated top of his class in 1971.
Gibney married Josephine McDermottroe the same year he graduated. The following year, he earned a master’s degree in agricultural chemistry at UCD before moving to Australia with his wife to pursue his doctorate at the University of Sydney during 1973-1976. Upon returning to Ireland, he served as a postdoctoral fellow for a year at the Irish Agricultural Institute, now known as Teagasc. Then he migrated to lecture on human nutrition at the University of Southampton Medical School, where he remained for eight years. From 1984-2006, he served as a professor of human nutrition at Trinity’s Department of Clinical Medicine. He was also the dean for research and innovation at the same university from 2001-2004, contributing to the development of new nanoscience and neuroscience institutions.
When he transferred from Trinity, along with a cohort of 23 researchers, to UCD in 2006, it certainly created a ripple in the academic community. During that period, UCD was establishing its Institute of Food and Health, focusing on a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to agriculture, food science, human nutrition, and food law, with Gibney at the helm as its inaugural director.
His partner, Jo, worked hand in hand with him on all his research endeavours both at Trinity and UCD. Presently, his middle child, Eileen Gibney, directs the Institute of Food and Health, having previously been associated with UCD before her father’s tenure.
Gibney later held the position of nutrition professor at the University of Ulster between 2013 to 2016. He was engaged in authoring a book about processed foods at the time of his demise.
The surviving family includes his wife Jo, his offspring Michael, Eileen and Sinead; his siblings Fintan, Cormac, Louise and Rosemary; and his grandchildren. His sister Isabel predeceased him.