Tim Spector, MD FRCP FRSB

Tim Spector is a Professor of Epidemiology at King’s College London, director of the Twins UK study, scientific co-founder at ZOE, and one of the world’s most-cited scientists. He's also the author of the bestsellers, Spoon-Fed, The Diet Myth, Food for Life, and Ferment. 

His Twins UK study is the UK’s largest adult twin registry. It followed thousands of twins for decades, unearthing fascinating insights into how genes influence health and, just as importantly, when they don’t. His work demonstrated that, while the genes of identical twins are, of course, identical, their metabolic responses to food can still vary significantly. In other words, lifestyle factors, like diet and exercise, must play important roles.

This new understanding inspired him to cast his net wider, eventually leading him to the gut microbiome and nutrition, which have become his primary focus. Tim realized that differences in the gut microbiome explained the variation in metabolic responses between identical twins and likely play an important role in overall health.

Building on this discovery, Tim co-founded ZOE. Through large-scale clinical studies involving tens of thousands of participants, ZOE has generated groundbreaking insights into personalized nutrition, metabolism, and gut health. These findings are now influencing public health policy and how people approach everyday food choices.

Awarded an OBE for services to medicine, he continues to lead global conversations on disease prevention, dietary change, and the future of personalized health.

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