Dr. Mathilde Touvier, PhD

Mathilde Touvier, PhD, is a nutritional epidemiologist at INSERM, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and the Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics in Bobigny, France, known above all for nutritional epidemiology and ultra-processed food. She serves as Senior Research Director and Director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team.

The research and professional emphasis of Dr. Mathilde Touvier falls on ultra-processed food and chronic disease risk; food additives, sweeteners and nitrites; and front of pack nutrition labelling. She is a recipient of the INSERM Research Prize.

Nutrition science is a research discipline rather than a clinical one: its output is evidence that clinicians, dietitians and governments then apply. Dr. Mathilde Touvier is best known within it for nutritional epidemiology and ultra-processed food.

Who Dr. Mathilde Touvier Is

• Full Name And Credentials: Mathilde Touvier, PhD
• Profession: Nutritional epidemiologist
• Field Of Focus: Nutritional epidemiology and ultra-processed food
• Current Position: Senior Research Director and Director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team
• Institution: INSERM, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and the Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics
• Location: Bobigny, France
• Sees Patients: No, this specialist works in research and education

How Dr. Mathilde Touvier Trained

The qualifications below are drawn from the institutional, professional body and publisher sources listed at the end of this profile.

• Undergraduate: Graduate of AgroParisTech in human nutrition, 2002
• Public Health: Master of Public Health in epidemiology, Medical Faculty of Nancy
• Doctorate: PhD in epidemiology and public health, 2006
• Habilitation: Habilitation to supervise research, 2014

What Dr. Mathilde Touvier Specialises In

Published professional sources describe the work of Dr. Mathilde Touvier as centred on:

• Ultra-processed food and chronic disease risk
• Food additives, sweeteners and nitrites
• Front of pack nutrition labelling
• Diet and cancer risk
• Large scale web based cohort methodology

Dr. Mathilde Touvier Academic And Professional Appointments

• Research Director at INSERM and Director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team, a group of around 100 people spanning INSERM, INRAE, Cnam, Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cite University, which she has led since 2019
• Principal Investigator of the NutriNet-Sante cohort, which has followed more than 183,000 participants since 2009
• Co-developer of the Nutri-Score front of pack nutrition label used in several European countries
• Principal Investigator of a European Research Council Consolidator Grant on food additives, food processing and health
• Member of the Scientific Council of the International Agency for Research on Cancer at the World Health Organization
• Expert adviser to the French National Cancer Institute, the French High Council for Public Health and the World Cancer Research Fund
• Visiting lecturer in nutritional epidemiology at several French universities

Notable Achievements Of Dr. Mathilde Touvier

• Appointed Professor of Public Health to the Annual Chair at the College de France
• INSERM Research Prize, 2019
• Bettencourt Schueller Foundation prize for French research, 2021
• European Research Council Public Engagement with Research Award, 2024
• Author of more than 370 publications, with major trials and cohort analyses published in the BMJ
• Previously worked for six years at the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety and spent a year as a visiting researcher at Imperial College London

Dr. Mathilde Touvier Institutional Affiliation

INSERM, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and the Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics

Bobigny, France. This is an academic and research base rather than a patient clinic. Enquiries about research, teaching or media are handled by the institution rather than by this directory.

Nutritional Epidemiology Explained

Nutritional epidemiology studies what large groups of people actually eat and what happens to their health over years or decades. Because it is rarely possible to randomise thousands of people to one diet for twenty years, this field relies on careful long term cohorts, repeated dietary measurement and statistical methods that account for confounding. Its strength is scale and real life relevance. Its limit is that it shows association rather than proof, which is why single headline findings should always be read alongside the wider body of evidence.

Related Nutritional Epidemiology Specialists

If you are comparing specialists, these profiles cover closely related areas of nutrition:

• Dr. Walter Willett, nutritional epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School
• Dr. Frank Hu, nutritional epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School
• Dr. Junshi Chen, nutrition and food safety science at China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment
• Dr. Marion Nestle, food policy and nutrition politics at New York University Steinhardt School

Browse the full dietitian and nutritionist directory for more specialists.

What Dr. Mathilde Touvier Does And Does Not Offer

This specialist does not offer individual consultations. Dr. Mathilde Touvier works in research, teaching and public health nutrition. Research, teaching and media enquiries go to INSERM, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and the Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics directly. For personal dietary advice, see a dietitian or nutritionist registered in your own country, or use the enquiry button on this page and we will point you towards a practising specialist in the directory.

Your Questions About Dr. Mathilde Touvier

What did Dr. Mathilde Touvier study?

PhD in epidemiology and public health, 2006. Full training details appear in the education section above.

What are the qualifications of Dr. Mathilde Touvier?

Mathilde Touvier, PhD. Full credentials are listed above.

What position does Dr. Mathilde Touvier hold?

Dr. Mathilde Touvier is Senior Research Director and Director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team, based at INSERM, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and the Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics.

What is Nutritional Epidemiology?

Nutritional Epidemiology is the area of nutrition science concerned with nutritional epidemiology and ultra-processed food. Specialists working in it, including Dr. Mathilde Touvier, study how diet relates to health and translate those findings into guidance.

Has Dr. Mathilde Touvier received professional recognition?

Yes. Appointed Professor of Public Health to the Annual Chair at the College de France. Further awards and distinctions are listed above.

Does Dr. Mathilde Touvier hold leadership roles in the field?

Yes. Research Director at INSERM and Director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team, a group of around 100 people spanning INSERM, INRAE, Cnam, Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cite University, which she has led since 2019. A fuller list of appointments appears above.

Citations And Further Reading On Dr. Mathilde Touvier

• World Health Organization biography
• Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics team profile
• College de France, Public Health Annual Chair

Accuracy And Review Of This Dr. Mathilde Touvier Profile

This profile was compiled from the public professional sources listed above, including university faculty pages, professional register and society records, journal author statements and publisher biographies. Qualifications, appointments and awards were checked against at least two independent sources where available. Last reviewed on 30 October 2026.

Found something out of date? Contact the Find MD Health editorial team and we will review the entry.

Important Notice About This Dr. Mathilde Touvier Listing

Information only, not medical or dietary advice, and not a listing for appointments. For individual guidance, see a registered dietitian or your own doctor.