Prof. Michael Crawford | Quantum Computing | Distinguished Scientist Award

Imperial College | London

Professor Michael Angus Crawford, BSc, PhD, FRSB, FRSC, FRCPath, is an internationally renowned British scientist whose pioneering research has transformed modern understanding of brain chemistry, maternal nutrition, and human evolution. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh and the University of London, he is widely recognized as a founding authority on the essentiality of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids—particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)—for brain development, structure, and function. Professor Crawford currently serves as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction at Imperial College London, based at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus. He is Chief Investigator of the FOSS clinical trials, which examine maternal lipid nutrition and its impact on pregnancy outcomes and neurodevelopment. His early prediction in 1972—that failure to meet the brain’s unique nutritional needs would lead to a rise in mental ill health—has since been validated through global health audits, inspiring his continued advocacy for maternal and child nutrition. His distinguished career spans academic leadership, clinical research, global advisory roles, and foundational contributions to nutritional science. He founded the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition and has served as trustee for multiple maternal and child health foundations. His international influence includes major consultancies with WHO, FAO, UNICEF, governments, major research councils, and global industries. Professor Crawford’s honours include the Chevreul Medal, the Avicenna Medal, the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan), the Brain of the Year Award, the Alexander Leaf Lifetime Award, and multiple international gold medals. He has authored seminal books—such as What We Eat Today, The Driving Force, Nutrition and Evolution, and The Shrinking Brain—and published extensively on brain evolution, fatty acid biochemistry, public health, and environmental influences on neurological development.

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