My broad research goal is to understand how foods, dietary patterns, and health behaviors influence metabolic health, cognition, and performance, while considering nutritional quality and sustainability. My work integrates human nutrition, food science, body composition, dietary assessment, and population-based approaches to examine relationships among diet, metabolism, health, and behavior.

Current areas of interest include:

• Nutritional quality, sustainability, and health implications of plant-based, fermented, and emerging foods
• Effects of diet and glycemic response on attention, cognition, and postprandial performance
• Relationships among nutrition, metabolism, body composition, chronic disease risk, and health behavior

Current Research Projects

Current research projects include:

• Glycemic response and glycemic index comparison of bread formulations in healthy adults
• Postprandial effects of glycemic load and dietary composition on attention and cognitive performance
• Energy expenditure associated with cooking-related activities
  Nutritional quality and health implications of fermentation, food processing, packaging, and emerging foods

NOTE: If you are interested in joining my research group, please review the Guide to Joining My Research Group before reaching out.

Ongoing Student Projects

2025–
Quynh Pham
Project: Body composition and metabolic predictors of glycemic variability in response to bread consumption

2025–
Tenaya Jacobson
Project: Glycemic response and glycemic index comparison of two bread formulations in healthy adults

2025–
Minh Nguyen
Project: Cooking as a form of physical activity: estimating energy expenditure across common cooking tasks

2025–
Corrin Kruse
Project: Cognitive response to acute postprandial glycemia: A TOVA-based assessment

2024–
Jessica Tibayan
Project: The association between matcha tea consumption, with and without milk, and self-reported cognitive function
2026 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

2024–
Curtis Jackson
Project: Postprandial attention performance after different glycemic load beverage consumption
2025 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

2022–
Nathan Shelub
Project: Acute impact of high saturated fat content in breakfast meal on postprandial attention level: A pilot study
2024 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

Past Student Projects

Note: When available, a link to the thesis full text, project abstract, conference presentation, or publication is included below.

2024–2026
Junyo Nakamura, MS
Project: Caffeine intake and positive generalized anxiety disorder diagnosis among U.S. adults aged 20–39 years: NHANES 2003–2004
2025 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

2025–2026
Ruben Curiel Gonzalez, MS
Project: Diet quality and C-reactive protein levels among active U.S. adults by IBD status: A cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2009–2010

2024–2026
Madison Mitchell, MS
Project: The association between fermented dairy intake and small dense LDL levels: a cross-sectional study using NHANES data
2025 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

2024–2026
Enrique Callejas, MS
Project: Perceived usefulness and trust of AI chatbots across RD exam content areas among nutrition students
Accepted poster: Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) 2026
2025 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

2024–2026
Mary Clover, MS
Project: Ganoderma (reishi mushroom) tea and sleep patterns in a healthy adult: A single-case design
2025 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

2023–2024
Lauren Weber, MS
Project: Association between probiotic intake and dementia in older adults
Poster presentation: Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) 2025

2021–2023                    
Cassandra Boyd, MS
Thesis: Association between prebiotic intake and disease in United States adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2023
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2024
Authorship: first-author article publication in Journal of Nutritional Science
2022 Circle of Friends scholarship winner ($2,000)
2022 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

2021–2023                    
Elise Silva, MS
Project: Exploring the effects of different types of bread on blood glucose biomarkers of adults in the United States: NHANES 2017-2018
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2023
2022 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,500)

2021–2022                    
Bryan Singharaj, MS, RDN
Thesis: No associations between macronutrient intakes and body composition indices in collegiate athletes
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2023

2021–2022                    
Diana Lee, MS, RN
Thesis: Inverse association between yogurt consumption and metabolic syndrome prevalence in United States adult males, but not in females or in the total population: NHANES 2017-2018
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2023

2021–2022          
Lasya Shah, MS, RD
Thesis: Association between stone fruit intake and markers of cardiovascular disease risk among United States adults: NHANES 2017-2018

2020–2021          
Helen Lee, MS, RD    
Thesis: Recommendations for a water conservationist diet in California
Oral presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2022
Authorship: first-author article publication in Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition
2021 Circle of Friends Jean Downes scholarship winner ($2,000)
2021 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2020–2021          
Samantha Kalb, MS, RD        
Thesis: Association between meal dietary inflammatory potential and postprandial sleepiness
2021 Circle of Friends Lucy McProud scholarship winner ($2,000)
2021 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2019–2021          
Lorena Cuan, MS, RD
Project: Changes in college students’ diet quality and motives for eating behaviors during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place when analyzing diet-self-study assignments

2020                      
Shaun Orvell, MS, RD
Project: Conservative clothing effects on air displacement plethysmography
Authorship: first-author article publication in International Journal of Exercise Science
2020 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2018–2019          
Shannon Mendez, MS, RD
Thesis: The effects of a 6-week group meal prep program on the frequency of consumption of home-cooked meals
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2020
Authorship: first-author article publication in Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
2019 Circle of Friends Elveda Smith Memorial scholarship winner ($2,000)
2019 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2018–2019          
Breanne Vinogradoff, MS, RD
Thesis: Association of food pharmacy participation with type II diabetes risk factors
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2020

2018–2019          
Sofia Apsey, MS, RD
Thesis: Disordered eating in collegiate athletes: Prevalence and relationships with body composition
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2019
2019 Circle of Friends Nancy C. Lu scholarship winner ($2,000)
2019 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2018–2019          
Kiley Field, MS, RD
Project: Associations between diet quality (Dietary Inflammation Index) and body composition and bone health in SJSU athletes
Authorship: co-authored publication in Journal of American College Health
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2019
2019 Circle of Friends Dietetic Internship scholarship winner ($2,000)
2019 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)