Yining Hou is an M.S. student in Nutrition, working with Dr. Joeva Barrow. Yining earned degrees in Food Science and Technology from Jiangnan University and Food Technology (Honors) from Massey University in 2026. Her research interests include nutritional interventions for obesity and metabolic diseases and understanding how nutritional signals influence metabolic pathways. In Dr. Barrow’s lab, Yining studies how circulating cell-free RNA changes in response to cold exposure and rewarming and how specific circulating RNA signals may influence adipocyte metabolism. Yining is motivated by a desire to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic health and hopes to apply this research toward improving the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.

In Dr. Joeva Barrow’s lab, Yining’s research focuses on how circulating cell-free RNA changes in response to cold exposure and rewarming and how these signals may influence adipocyte metabolism.

Bachelor of Food Technology, Massey University
B.Eng., Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University