User:Macularcarotenoids/Professor john nolan

Professor John Nolan was born and raised in the Republic of Ireland. John Nolan studied Science at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). It was there where he obtained his primary degree. He also completed his PhD at WIT. Following this, John worked at the Medical College of Georgia in the US as part of his Fulbright Scholarship. Upon successful completion of his Fulbright Scholarship, John returned to Waterford, where he established the Macular Pigment Research Group. This group of scientists have spent 18 years studying the role of nutrition for the eye, with some key discoveries. In 2011, John won the prestigious European Research Council Starting Grant where he conducted the Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Trials (CREST). This work essentially confirms the scientific discovery that the use of meso-zeaxanthin, in conjunction with lutein and zeaxanthin (the three nutritional pigments that are found at the back of the eye), can enhance vision in healthy subjects and in patients with early age-related macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in the western world). In 2016, John founded the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland, which is a multidisciplinary group studying the role of nutrition and lifestyle for human well-being. Their current research interests include the study of key nutrients for cognitive function and brain health with a major goal of identifying ways to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Early life and education
John was born in 1980 and was raised in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary. John completed his leaving cert in the CBS Secondary School in Carrick-on-Suir and went on to complete his Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Applied Biology with Quality Management in Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), Ireland. In 2002, following the completion of his degree, John went on to pursue a PhD in the WIT with a thesis entitled "Determinants of macular pigment in healthy subjects". From 2005-2006 John won the prestigious Irish/American Fulbright Scholarship for Science, where he relocated to the Medical College of Georgia to pursue his project entitled "Spatial profile of macular pigment and its relationship with foveal architecture". In 2006 John returned to Waterford Institute of Technology where he founded the Macular Pigment Research Group.