Professor Gallegos has made a significant contribution to public health nutrition research in particular in the areas of food security, food literacy and early infant feeding.  Her research focuses on real world “wicked” problems that require interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary solutions.  The research actively engages community members in strengths-based approaches. Professor Gallegos has a passion for building our understanding of the everyday challenges facing families as they put food on the table.  She has led major implementation projects in the area of food, nutrition and early childhood education and care with significant outcomes leading to practice change, and has a strong commitment to research mentorship building capacity for research in staff, HDR students (15 completed 13 ongoing). 

Professor Gallegos is currently the Director of the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research funded by the Queensland Children's Hospital Foundationand has secured over $6.5 million in funding for early childhood and food literacy research.

She has also have worked with refugee families, First Nations communities, youth in transition and families living with poverty.  Under the auspices of the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research, she is focussing on the following projects:

- Building a co-design gateway for children's nutrition research

- Developing a portfolio of solutions to assist feeding families in tough times and keeping children from being hungry (Feeding Families in Tough Times)

- Working with primary schools to develop a process for co-designing food and nutrition environments (#schoolfoodies)