Kanishka Nilaweera is a research officer in Teagasc Food Research Centre. Kanishka’s research aims to determine how we gain weight, and develop obesity. Using this information, we then aim to create dietary interventions that can reduce weight gain or cause weight loss, so that these interventions can be commercialised to tackle the obesity problem. To this end, we have explored the functional relationship between the gut, adipose tissue (where fat is stored) and the brain by modulating the activity of these tissues by feeding animals varied dietary compositions and quantities. This work has revealed connections between these tissues, which provide an insight into how we can gain weight and how to prevent or reduce it. Kanishka research is aligned with Spoke 8 digestive characteristics. He is co-supervising a PhD student in this Spoke with UCC.