Professor Margaret Morris (BSc, PhD Monash) is currently Head of Pharmacology at UNSW Australia, and leads a 15-person research group within Medical Sciences. Her current research addresses critical questions concerning the impact of adverse early life events and lifestyle factors on chronic disease risk. The impact of parental obesity and early childhood events has been a key focus, exploring offspring metabolic and cardiovascular risk, and options for intervention. Current work includes intergenerational transmission of obesity and the psychology of eating, e.g. how does provision of a varied, energy rich diet override the regulatory control mechanisms that should maintain body weight? Her lab is investigating the impact of sugar, and fat, on cognition and the gut microbiota.