Distinguished Alumni Award

Dr. Zach Conrad '02 (Champlain College)

Dr. Zach Conrad is an internationally recognized nutritional epidemiologist and food systems scientist whose research has transformed our understanding of how food choices impact health, sustainability, and affordability. He is currently an associate professor and director of the Nutritional Epidemiology and Food System Analytics Laboratory at William & Mary, a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia.   

Dr. Conrad says his passion for interdisciplinary science was sparked while attending Trent, where he earned a B.A. in Biology and Anthropology in 2007. After earning graduate degrees at Tufts University in Massachusetts, Dr. Conrad worked as a postdoctoral research scientist with the US Department of Agriculture before joining William & Mary as a faculty member. He has authored more than 65 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He is the primary investigator for several projects exploring how diet affects cardiometabolic disease, greenhouse gas emissions, natural resource use, and sustainable food production. 

Many of Dr. Conrad’s deepest friendships were formed at Trent, and he says his time in Peterborough was foundational to who he is as a person and scientist. He is particularly grateful for several influential faculty, including Drs. Joseph So and Anne Keenleyside, who encouraged him to explore the interconnectedness between seemingly distinct academic fields, thereby igniting his enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research. He encourages current students to pursue the passions that bring meaning to their lives, not only as hobbies but as potential career paths.  

“Zach's experience at Trent, which began 23 years ago, changed his life,” wrote a nominator. “Today, he is recreating that experience for his own undergraduate students, at a public liberal arts university much like Trent, so they have the tools to make a difference for people in ways they couldn't have imagined before.”