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Dr Ajmol Ali
Professor of Sport and Exercise Science
Associate Dean - International
Massey University
New Zealand

Originally from Bangladesh, Ajmol moved to UK at a young age. He completed his studies at Loughborough University (UK) and graduated with a PhD in 2002.

Ajmol is currently Professor in the School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition at Massey University (New Zealand). He is International Director for College of Health, Director of the Centre for Metabolic Health Research and Director of The Beverage Lab. Ajmol’s main research areas lie within supplementation for health and performance, paediatric exercise science, and wellness at work. Away from work Ajmol still continues to play football, albeit at a much slower pace than in his younger years! He also enjoys playing (and coaching) football with his two young children. 

Teena Badshah
R&D Life Sciences Senior Scientist
PepsiCo
Bangkok

Experiences and collaborative Life Sciences Senior Scientist at PepsiCo with over 18 years of experience of both corporate and therapeutic nutrition. She has been with PepsiCo for 9 years supporting the food & beverage portfolio through science, research, communications, and innovation projects.

As a Senior Nutrition Scientist, she is actively involved in supporting new product development, translating nutrition science into product communication and claims, hydration and whole grain education and portfolio transformation initiatives. Prior to joining PepsiCo, she worked with Baxter and an NGO called CanKids. She also has experience of working as a Senior Dietician at two of India’s leading healthcare institutes. She has a Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition from Lady Irwin College, New Delhi as well as a Master’s degree in Dietetics & Food Service Management. She is motivated to learn, grow, and mentor others, while striving to make a positive impact on both the environment and human health.

Dr Ian Rollo
Principal Scientist, Life Science Engagements
Gatorade Sports Science Institute
United Kingdom

Ian is the principal scientist and head of GSSI International. His current role involves providing sports science and sports nutrition support for professional soccer clubs and organizations such as FC Barcelona, Manchester City FC, and UEFA. His research is focused on sports nutrition and exercise physiology. Ian earned his Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham University in sport and exercise science and Master’s degree from Loughborough University in Exercise Physiology. In 2009 he received a PhD from Loughborough University under the supervision of Professor Clyde Williams. In 2005 he worked at the August Krogh Institute, Denmark, assisting in studies on mechanisms of fatigue during high intensity exercise and optimizing nutritional strategies for soccer. Ian has previously been a consultant in professional soccer, swimming, and rugby.

Dr Rollo is an honorary research fellow at Loughborough University, where he previously led the MSc module on Sport and Exercise Nutrition. Ian also manages clinical research projects and is involved in developing novel technologies to support athletic performance.

Endurance is the ability to sustain physical or mental effort over a period which involves multiple physiological and psychological processes. Endurance involves complex interplay between cardiovascular, skeletal muscles, metabolism, and central nervous systems, each involves target organ functions and mechanisms. On one hand, endurance enhancement involves enhanced supply of oxygen and nutrients for production of energy, on the other hand, prevention of fatigue or muscle soreness for quicker recovery is also crucial.

Therefore, optimum endurance enhancement supplementation needs to have broader range of beneficial effects on multiple organs system with scientific evidence. One such natural source of ingredient for comprehensive physiological benefits that are relevant to endurance-specific organs and metabolic processes is the seeds of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.).

Fenugreek seeds are traditionally used for culinary and medicinal practices and have significant scientific evidence for broader applications for complementary medicine and sports nutrition solutions. The fenugreek seed extracts with standardized bioactive marker phytoconstituents are reported for one or many facets of endurance enhancement through diverse mechanisms. Recently, endurance improvement efficacy and safety of a standardized composition of fenugreek seed extracts supplementation was confirmed in exercising subjects, during a double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Therefore, fenugreek seed extracts promising is a promising natural food-derived ingredient for endurance enhancing nutraceuticals applications.

Dr Prasad Thakurdesai
Chief Scientific Officer,
Indus Biotech Limited, Pune, India

Dr Prasad Thakurdesai is the Chief Scientific Officer at Indus Biotech Limited, Pune, India. He holds B. Pharm, M. Pharm and PhD Degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Nagpur University, Nagpur, India. Besides, he holds many certifications on Patent drafting and IP management from World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, Switzerland. He has 29 years of professional experience, including 17 years in reputed educational and research institutions of Pharmaceutical Sciences, namely Birla Institute of Science and Technology (BITS, Pilani) and Poona College of Pharmacy, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, India before joining present position in June 2008.

His research areas include pharmacology, toxicology, clinical studies, pharmacokinetics, standardization, authentication, formulation, stability, and international regulatory affairs related to natural phytoconstituents for sports and other nutraceuticals and complementary medicines. He has more than 100 peer-reviewed international journal publications, 59 international conference presentations, 8 awards for best research papers, 2 books, 2 book chapter, 11 magazine articles, more than 30 invited lectures at international conferences and exhibitions to his credit. He has supervised 4 PhD and 32 post graduate students for their dissertations. He is a member of many international and Indian professional organizations in the area of pharmaceutical science, Pharmacology, Medical writing and informatics, Quality of Life, Toxicology and Community Pharmacy.