Dr Sophia Amenyah

Assistant Professor

School: Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation

Dr Sophia Amenyah is a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow and Assistant Professor in Nutrition at Northumbria University, UK. Her interdisciplinary research sits at the intersection of the biomedical and social sciences. It is focused on addressing inequalities in ageing and nutrition through co-production, inclusive research and community development.

Sophia has established a strong track record of research leadership rooted in Teams Science principles. As an early career researcher, she has an outstanding funding portfolio, having secured over £869,297 across 12 competitive projects (8 as Principal Investigator) within the past 4 years. Her research is supported by prestigious funders, including the NIHR, Vivensa Foundation, UKRI (BBSRC/MRC) Food4Years Network, and Alzheimer’s Research UK, reflecting the relevance and impact in addressing critical public health challenges. She has contributed to large-scale international research, leading the evaluation of the European Regional Development Fund project ASPIRE: Adding to Social Capital and Individual Potential in Disadvantaged Regions, which aimed to strengthen social capital and opportunities with individuals living with obesity and unemployment from underserved communities.

Her research delivers impact through co-developing practical, community-based models with underserved populations and supporting healthy lifestyle practices in later life. She is particularly recognised for equitable partnerships with communities and embedding lived experience in research design, ensuring that interventions are inclusive, culturally-tailored, contextually relevant, and scalable. Her work advances understanding of the biological and social determinants of ageing, informing policy and shaping practice across public health and health and social care.

Sophia holds a PhD in Nutrition and Genomic Medicine and is a Registered Nutritionist. She has a strong and growing publication record, including 15 peer-reviewed articles (nine as first author and six as corresponding author) and 16 published abstracts in leading bioscience and public health journals, contributing to evidence that informs both academic and applied settings. She has co-produced seven practitioner and community-facing resources that empower communities and enable the effective translation of research into practice. Please find the link to publications: Google Scholar. Her methodological expertise includes mixed-methods research, genomics, systematic reviews, realist synthesis and evaluation, community development, and community-based participatory methods such as Photovoice and community asset mapping. She applies established frameworks, including NIHR INCLUDE and the MRC guidance for complex interventions, to design and deliver rigorous, impactful research with clear pathways to implementation and impact.

Email Sophia

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Co-production, Healthy ageing, nutrition & vascular health, nutrigenomics, global nutrition, nutrition assessment, Community nutrition, food & nutrition policies.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Being active in Ghana: facilitators, barriers and preferences for being physically active in community settings among Ghanaian adults, Boateng, D., Osei-Kwasi, H., Addo, P., Mogre, V., Assasie, E., Boakye, K., Zakariah-Akoto, S., Ojwang, A., Adjei, M., Akparibo, R., Agbozo, F., Abu, B., Amenyah, S., Singh, A., Kushitor, S., Asante, M., Aryeetey, R., Levy, A., Daley, A. 27 Feb 2026, In: BMJ Public Health
Confessions of a new research group leader, Amenyah, S. 30 Apr 2026
Factors influencing food choice of older Black African adults in the United Kingdom, Amenyah, S., Adjei, J., Bradley, L., Yeboah, S., Aienobe-Asekharen, C., Osei-Kwasi, H. Feb 2026, In: Sage Open Aging
A scoping review of the impact of community-based food models on health, wellbeing and social connectedness of older people. v1, Amenyah, S., Benzimra, A., Murphy, J., Powell, K., Devis-Rosental, C., Fenge, L. 2 Oct 2025
‘Back Us and We’ll Back You’: A Photovoice Study Exploring the Impact of a Community-Based Food Model on the Health, Wellbeing and Social Connectedness of Older People, Amenyah, S., Benzimra, A., Fenge, L., Murphy, J., Devis-Rozental, C. May 2025, In: Current Developments in Nutrition
'BACK US AND WE'LL BACK YOU': The experiences of older adults of impact of a community-based food model on the health, wellbeing and social connectedness of older people, Amenyah, S., Benzimra, A., Adjei, J., Murphy, J., Fenge, L., Devis-Rozental, C., Jeff, P., Parker, A., Edmond, R., Cooper, T., Pattenden, R. Jun 2025
Cultural perspectives on ageing and community engagement memories: a celebration of African and Caribbean culture, health and community, Osei-Kwasi, H., Amenyah, S. Mar 2025
Fruit and vegetable intake in minority ethnic groups in the UK: analysis from ‘Understanding Society’ and UK Biobank, Shah, P., Demashkieh, M., Ellahi, B., Osei-Kwasi, H., Amenyah, S., Vijayakumaran, R., Murphy, J., Hardy, R. 27 Aug 2025, In: Public Health Nutrition
Healthy Brain Healthy Life: An innovative and culturally-tailored approach to dementia prevention in minority ethnic communities, Amenyah, S., Heward, M., Bradley, L., Tse, D., Bate, L. 9 Dec 2025, In: Research for All
Impact of community-based food interventions on health, wellbeing, and social connectedness of older adults: A scoping review, Jeff, P., Benzimra, A., Murphy, J., Fenge, L., Devis-Rozental, C., Amenyah, S. 25 Oct 2025, In: Health and Social Care in the Community

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Invited talk: Changing the Narrative: From Lived Experience to Funded Projects for Minoritised researchers 2026
Invited talk: Co-producing community-based research with underserved communities 2026
Invited talk: Inaugural Mike Gibney Award Lecture 2026
Invited talk: What happens when you share the power? Co-producing nutrition research with older adults 2026

Qualifications