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Independent Reviews

Editorial Team

All content for Independent Reviews is authored, reviewed, and approved by qualified Registered Dietitians and nutrition experts. Here is our team.

VO

Sebastian Vance, MS, CPT

Lead Tester & Editor-in-Chief

Sebastian Vance (he/him) is the founder and serves as the Lead Tester and Editor-in-Chief at Independent Reviews. Having trained in computer science at Carnegie Mellon, he dedicated nearly ten years as a senior tester for a leading consumer-tech magazine, where he conducted hands-on benchmark tests for productivity, fitness, and AI-photo applications.
NS

Helena Brandt, PhD, MS, RDN

Methodology Director

Dr. Helena Brandt (she/her) holds the position of Methodology Director at Independent Reviews.
CW

Declan Mercer, BA

Senior Editor

Declan Mercer (he/him) serves as the Senior Editor at Independent Reviews. He is responsible for most head-to-head comparisons, maintains the editorial tone, and refines the lab's testing notes into accessible writing that helps readers decide if they should transition from MyFitnessPal to Cronometer at lunchtime.
YN

Mei-Lin Zhou, MS, BS

Data Analyst

Mei-Lin Zhou (she/they) is the Data Analyst at Independent Reviews. They are responsible for crafting the lab's testing methodologies, conducting the statistical analysis for each published accuracy score, and ensuring that the figures presented by Independent Reviews are statistically sound.
RB

Jonah Castellano, BS

Junior Tester

Jonah Castellano (they/them) works as the Junior Tester at Independent Reviews. They have the most frequent daily interaction with the applications being evaluated, actively logs meals in seven different trackers, scans barcodes in stores, documents every dinner, and provides feedback on which app misrepresented specific details.