Professor Dianne Ford

Emeritus Professor

Dianne is Emeritus Professor at Northumbria University, where she previously served as Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor for Health and Life Sciences.

Until 2016, Dianne was at Newcastle University, where her leadership roles were in postgraduate education, including Director of PhD Studies and Associate Dean for Taught Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

Her research career developed from an early interest in nutrient transport mechanisms, zinc biology, and the metabolism of dietary components implicated in promoting better health. Most recently, her group’s research focused on the metabolism of bioactive food components and their impact on cellular and molecular processes relevant to ageing and disease prevention. Much of her work was funded by the BBSRC and other national and international sources, and she led a productive research group of postdoctoral researchers and PhD students from 1998 onward.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and a Fellow of the Physiological Society, and has a long record of service to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). She is currently Deputy Chair of BBSRC Research Committee A, a Lay Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), a Co-opted Governor for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and serves on the Editorial Board of FEBS Letters.

Dianne is a graduate in Biochemistry (BSc 1988, PhD 1991, University of Bristol) and continues to contribute to research and leadership within the biosciences community in an emeritus capacity.

Campus Address

NB262, 2nd Floor, Northumberland Building
E210, Coach Lane Campus West

Email Dianne

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Interactions between the intestinal microbiota and drug metabolism – Clinical implications and future opportunities, Ford, D. 1 May 2025, In: Biochemical Pharmacology
Influence of maternal folate depletion on Art3 DNA methylation in the murine adult brain: potential consequences for brain and neurocognitive health, Kok, D., Saunders, R., Nelson, A., Smith, D., Ford, D., Mathers, J., McKay, J. 1 May 2024, In: Mutagenesis
The use of a systems approach to increase NAD+ in human participants, Henderson, J., Quigley, S., Chachra, S., Conlon, N., Ford, D. 1 Feb 2024, In: npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease
Use of zinc deposited in deciduous teeth as a retrospective measurement of dietary zinc exposure during early development, Wahono, N., Wakeling, L., Dirks, R., Banks, D., Shepherd, T., Ford, D., Valentine, R. 24 Feb 2023, In: Frontiers in Oral Health
A systems-approach to NAD+ restoration, Conlon, N., Ford, D. 1 Apr 2022, In: Biochemical Pharmacology
Impact of in Utero Folate Exposure on Dna Methylation and Its Potential Relevance for Later‐Life Health – Evidence from Mouse Models Translated to Human Cohorts, Kok, D., Richmond, R., Adriaens, M., Evelo, C., Ford, D., Mathers, J., Robinson, N., McKay, J. 1 Feb 2022, In: Molecular Nutrition & Food Research
Antileukemic Effect of Palladium Nanoparticles Mediated by White Tea (Camellia sinensis) Extract in Vitro and in WEHI-3B-Induced Leukemia in Vivo, Othman, H., Rahman, H., Mohan, S., Aziz, S., Marif, H., Ford, D., Abdulsamad, N., Amin, K., Abdullah, R. 19 Aug 2020, In: Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Metabolic reprogramming of glycolysis and glutamine metabolism are key events in myofibroblast transition in systemic sclerosis pathogenesis, Henderson, J., Duffy, L., Stratton, R., Ford, D., O’Reilly, S. 1 Dec 2020, In: Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Ribosomal heterogeneity – a new inroad for pharmacological innovation, Ford, D. 1 May 2020, In: Biochemical Pharmacology
The presence and response to Zn of ZnT family mRNAs in human dental pulp, Wahono, N., Ford, D., Wakeling, L., Valentine, R. 1 Mar 2019, In: Metallomics