Dr Rebecca Byrne is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology. Rebecca practised as a clinical dietitian in hospital and domiciliary settings before commencing her PhD at QUT.

Her PhD, examining the dietary intake of toddlers, sat within the NOURISH randomised controlled trial. NOURISH was one of the first trials internationally to evaluate the impact of maternal responsive feeding practices on infant intake, eating behaviour and growth.

After two years as a postdoctoral research fellow within the NHMRC funded Centre for Research Excellence in the Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood, Rebecca was appointed as a lecturer within the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. She continues to research what and how young children are fed, particularly the influence of feeding practices used by educators in the Early Childhood Education and Care setting, and understanding how eating behaviours – such as fussy eating – develop. She is a founding member of the National Nutrition Network: ECEC in Australia, and a leader of the special interest group in ECEC within the International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Rebecca is an advocate for the support and promotion of breastfeeding, and is a member of the Federal Government’s expert working group for the revision of Australia’s National Breastfeeding Strategy.