Research in Nutrition
The diversity of in the field of nutrition provides opportunities for a wide variety of research. We conduct impactful, relevant research relating to nutrition and food safety education, stem cell biology, dietary interactions, colon cancer, obesity, diabetes, dietary guidelines, community-based nutrition and physical activity intervention, and more. Our faculty experts receive more than $3 million in private and federal grants each year to conduct multidisciplinary research.
Nutrition Undergraduate Research Immersion in the Summer (NURISh)
Participate in a 10-week paid summer research experience exploring innovative topics in nutrition and related life sciences. Collaborate with leading researchers, build essential skills, and gain hands-on experience in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment. Learn more about the Nutrition Undergraduate Research Immersion in the Summer program.
Areas of Research Expertise
Our faculty represent a community of scholars who are conducting extensive research programs in a variety of program areas, collaborating with colleagues across the world from different disciplines.
Jenna Anding, Ph.D.
Research:
Evaluating the impact of Nutrition and Food Safety Education Programs among limited resource audiences.
Robert Chapkin, Ph.D.
Research:
Research in the Chapkin lab focuses on dietary/microbial modulators related to the prevention of cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. The lab has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) for the past 36 years.
Shaodong Guo, Ph.D.
Research:
Mechanisms of insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, and associated cardiac disorders, aiming at nutritional and therapeutic intervention.
Bradley Johnston, Ph.D.
Research:
Application of randomized trial, systematic review, meta-analysis and guideline recommendation methods to a wide range of areas, with a particular interest in evidence-based nutrition practice and policy.
Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, Ph.D.
Research:
Community-based nutrition and physical activity intervention research, AgriLife Research administrative leadership for social and behavioral intervention research initiatives, and Healthy Texas community health research director.
Yuxiang Sun, Ph.D.
Research:
Dr. Sun is a leading expert on “hunger hormone” ghrelin. She generated the first set of mouse models for the ghrelin system, and discovered ghrelin’s novel functions in diabetes, thermogenesis, inflammation and aging. Her laboratory uses state-of-the-art tools to study ghrelin in energy sensing/metabolism, immuno-metabolism, inflamm-aging and neuro-inflammation. Their work has potential to lead to therapies for obesity, diabetes, inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
Masako Suzuki, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Research:
The long-term research goals of Dr. Suzuki’s laboratory are to identify mechanisms of how the offspring memorize their environmental exposure status in utero throughout life, which links to increasing disease risks later in life, and to reveal how the genetic variations contribute to the exposure phenotypes.
David Threadgill, Ph.D.
Research:
Dr. Threadgill’s laboratory uses the mouse as an experimental genetic model to investigate factors that contribute to inter-individual differences in health and disease. Current research activities include the role of genetic variation in response to environmental stimuli, with diet being the major environmental factor under study.
Heidi Vanden Brink, Ph.D.
Research:
Dr. Vanden Brink’s research focuses on the intersection between human nutrition, metabolism, and reproductive physiology, with an emphasis on the adolescent reproductive transition, mechanisms leading to PCOS in the early post-menarcheal years, and PCOS prevention.
Linglin Xie, Ph.D
Research:
Throughout her research career, Dr. Xie has dedicated herself to exploring various facets within the field of nutrition, developmental biology, and their implications for human health. Her primary focus is investigating the complex interplay between maternal factors, environmental exposures, and their effects on offspring health. Specifically, her interests encompass four major fields: (1) examining the impact of maternal nutrition on offspring obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD); (2) gaining an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying liver cancer; (3) studying the interactions between environmental and maternal factors in promoting healthy pregnancy and offspring development; (4) exploring the regulatory gene network involved in heart development.
Chaodong Wu, Ph.D.
Research:
Elucidate the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of obesity and overnutrition-associated metabolic diseases including insulin resistance, diabetes, and fatty liver disease.
Waylon Hastings, Ph.D.
Research:
Dr. Hastings obtained a Ph.D. in Biobehavioral Health and Bioethics from Pennsylvania State University in 2020. Previously a National Institute on Aging supported Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Tulane University School of Medicine, he collaborates with the Telomere Research Network and COnsortium of METabolomics Studies (COMETS) to develop methods to measure ‘biological age’ and functional decline in humans. He plans to continue this work at Texas A&M, expanding his research enterprise to investigate how metabolic stressors impact the ability of these measures to answer questions about mechanisms of aging and disease.
Jacob S. Szeszulski, Ph.D.
Research:
Dr. Jacob Szeszulski’s studies the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of school – and community-based physical activity and nutrition programs for youth. Specifically, he is interested in understanding policies, systems, and environments that affect youth physical activity and nutrition, identifying organizational and contextual factors that affect the delivery of school- and community-based programs, and using community-based participatory research approaches to reduce disparities in youth’s health behaviors, and subsequent health outcomes.
Chia-Shan “Jenny” Wu, Ph.D.
Research:
Dr. Wu’s research is focused on understanding the biology of aging and chronic diseases, in particular the regulation of gut-brain axis in age-related metabolic dysfunction and cognitive impairment. You can learn more about Dr. Wu’s publications here.
Her research is currently funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Institute of Advancing Health Through Agriculture, and Texas A&M Regional Center of Excellence in Cancer Research.
Sylvie Estrela, Ph.D.
Research:
Dr. Estrela’s lab is interested in understanding how microbes interact with each other and their abiotic environment to shape microbial community assembly and dynamics. Our goal is to use this knowledge to manipulate microbiomes through environmental modifications, with a focus on nutrients and the human gut microbiome. To do this, we combine principles from ecological and evolutionary theory with a wide range of experimental approaches.
Stephanie Rogus, Ph.D., R.D.N.
Research:
High rates of diet-related disease in the U.S. are largely the result of food environments that encourage the procurement and consumption of foods with high energy density and low nutrient density. Policies, educational programs, and environmental interventions can help address these issues by disseminating evidence-based nutrition education and facilitating healthy food choices. Dr. Rogus’s research aims to inform nutrition policy, programs, and interventions and understand their impacts on diet and food insecurity.
Chad Rethorst, Ph.D.
Research:
Dr. Rethorst’s research focuses on the development and optimization of behavioral interventions to improve the health of persons with chronic medical conditions, the use of digital technologies in the delivery and evaluation of behavior change interventions, and the influence of health behaviors on mental health.