Julia is a Professor of Clinical Psychology in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing at the University of Canterbury, the Director of Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab, and co-author of The Better Brain. Originally from Toronto, Canada, she completed her PhD at the University of Calgary in clinical psychology, a post-doctoral fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children, and then immigrated to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2000. For over 15 years, her lab has been running clinical trials investigating the role of broad-spectrum micronutrients in the treatment of mental illness, including ADHD, mood disorders, anxiety and stress.

Julia has over 300 peer-reviewed publications and international talks/keynotes, with almost 10,000 citations, and an h-index of 48, and is currently on the Executive Committee for the International Society of Nutritional Psychiatry Research. She has been the recipient of many awards, including the Ballin Award from the NZ Psychological Society for significant contributions to the development or enhancement of clinical psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand, being named a Woman of Influence in New Zealand in 2015, 2018, and 2021, and a Braveheart award for her contribution to making Christchurch a better place to live. Her 2014 TEDx talk has been viewed over 5 million times.

In 2020, she spearheaded a Free online course for the public on mental health and nutrition which has already enrolled over 75,000 students from more than 197 countries across the globe via Harvard’s EdX platform. She is also passionate about advocating that a good nutritional foundation is essential for helping people prevent and recover from mental health challenges.