Lab Members

Raju Ahmmed

PhD Student
Raju is a Ph.D. student in Human Nutrition from Bangladesh. Since 2018, he has been as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Engineering at Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology (DUET), Gazipur, Bangladesh, and is currently on deputation leave to pursue his Ph.D. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Food Engineering from Bangladesh Agricultural University in 2011 and 2013, respectively. His research focuses on optimizing the properties and health benefits of resistant starch through structural modification and dietary strategies. Raju’s favorite sports are badminton, cricket, and soccer.

Yuxuan Si

Master Student
​Yuxuan is a Master’s student in Human Nutrition and a research assistant from Xi’an, China. She earned her Master’s degree in Food Biotechnology from Wageningen University & Research in 2024 and her Bachelor’s degree in Enology and Viticulture from Northwest Agriculture & Forest University. After completing her Master’s , she plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree.

Jun Wang, PhD

Visiting Research Scholar
​Jun has been a lecturer at the School of Tourism and Cuisine at Yangzhou University, China, since 2019, where she teaches courses in food analysis and functional food science. She earned her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Anhui Agricultural University in 2019. Her research focuses on the effects of bioactive substances on metabolism and development, with a particular emphasis on diabetes and bone development. Additionally, she has conducted research on the application of bioactive substances in food packaging, such as tea polyphenols and anthocyanins.

Songnan Li, PhD

Visiting Research Scholar
​Songnan is an Assistant Professor of Food Science at Yangzhou University. He earned his Ph.D. in Starch Science from South China University of Technology in 2020 and holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Food Science from Anhui Agricultural University, completed in 2016 and 2013, respectively. From 2019 to 2020, he was a Visiting Ph.D. Student at Penn State University and the University of Alabama. His research focuses on utilizing advanced technologies to enhance starch functionality, with a primary focus on encapsulation, emulsions, and electrospinning.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Songnan-Li

Sophia Marshall-Pelayo

Undergraduate Researcher, Randall Research Scholar
Sophia is a sophomore from Boston, Massachusetts. She is majoring in Biology with minors in Spanish, Biochemistry, and the Randall Research Scholars Program. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to continue her education in medical school.​

Xiran Shu

Undergraduate Researcher
Xiran is a junior from China, majoring in Food and Nutrition. She plans to join the Coordinated Program in her senior year and hopes to become a Registered Dietitian (RD) in the future. ​​

Molly Sullivan

Undergraduate Researcher, Randall Research Scholar
Molly is from Cypress, Texas. She is a junior majoring in Biology with a minor in the Randall Research Scholars Program and Interdisciplinary Studies in Medicine. After getting her bachelor’s degree, Molly plans to continue her education in medical school.​

Lab Alumni

Jiayue Guo, PhD Student, Now Associate Professor at China Agricultural University
Jingyi Zhou, PhD Student, Now Postdoctoral Scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station​
Yanqi Zhang, PhD Student, Now Postdoctoral Scholar at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Songnan Li, Visiting PhD Student, now Assistant Researcher (Equivalent to Assistant Professor) at Yangzhou University.
Jiannan Feng, Research assistant, Now PhD student at UGA
Sara Ghulamani, Undergraduate Research Assistant​
Nicole Angle, Undergraduate Research Assistant​, Now PhD student at Duke University
Ali Gutierrez, Undergraduate Research Assistant​, Now PhD-MD student at South Carolina College of Medicine
Emily Ager, Undergraduate Research Assistant​, Now PhD student at San Diego State University
Katie Webb, Research Assistant-Master
Gabrielle Van Hoet, Undergraduate Research Assistant​
​Shu Hang Kwan, ​Undergraduate Research Assistant​
Brittany Humphreys, ​Undergraduate Research Assistant, now graduate student at CU Boulder
Morgan Abercrombie, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Mindy Martinez, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Joshua Kelly, Undergraduate Research Assistant
​Lilla Gladden, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Tyler Lubbat, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Alegna Trejo Contreras, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Now MD student at UAB
​Steven Li, Undergraduate Research Assistant, now PhD student at Purdue University