Professor Maria Makrides is the Executive Director of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

As a clinical nutritionist, Maria is committed to improving the nutrition and health of mothers and their babies through the conduct and translation of high quality research. She has over 350 peer reviewed publications. Maria's work has been responsible for changes in international policy regarding the safe composition of infant foods, national and international guidance on diet and supplementation during pregnancy. Maria has been responsible for the design and implementation of a world first program to reduce the risk of early preterm birth. She is an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science and the Nutrition Society of Australia. Maria was awarded South Australian Scientist of the Year in 2022.