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Karina is a Ph.D. student in Human Nutrition, working with Dr. Kimberly O'Brien. She earned her B.Sc. in Dietetics from McGill University and obtained her Registered Dietitian license in Canada. After completing one year of clinical practice, her strong interest in nutrition and preventative care led her to pursue a thesis-based M.Sc. in Human Nutrition, where she got inspired by the influential role of the gut microbiota in health. In Dr. O’Brien’s lab, Karina investigates

Elaine Sha, MPH, RD, IBCLC, is a Ph.D. student in Human Nutrition working with Dr. Yarden Golan Maor. Her research focuses on identifying the psychosocial, physiological, and pharmacological factors that influence human milk production and composition. After completing her Registered Dietitian and Pathway 2 Lactation Consultant training during her master’s program at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Elaine spent three years as an adult and pediatric clinical dietitian, an experience that shaped

Zhangfan Lyu is an M.S. student in Nutritional Sciences on the individualized track, working with Dr. Kimberly O'Brien. She earned her B.S. in Nutrition Sciences from McGill University, with a concentration in Metabolism, Health and Disease. Zhangfan's research focuses on the intersection of trace minerals, gut microbiome composition, and dietary patterns. She is currently working on a secondary analysis using serum and fecal samples from the FeMicrobiome Study to quantify copper concentrations and evaluate how

Yifan Jia is an M.S. student in Nutrition completing the combined Dietetic Internship program. Originally from Beijing, China, she earned dual degrees in Nutrition and Dietetics and Global Health, along with a certificate in Entrepreneurship, from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Her research interests center on women’s reproductive health and the complex relationships among nutrients, the gut microbiome, and metabolic diseases. She is currently a member of the Lujan Lab, where she investigates the impact of

Yukun Wu is a Master's student focusing on molecular nutrition working with Dr. Sander Kersten. His research interests are exploring the factors triggering lipolysis and lipid oxidation while maintaining redox balance. Yukun earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. He gained knowledge in medical nutrition therapy, and hope to integrate his research interests with obesity management in the future.

Xincheng Wu is a Ph.D. candidate in Molecular Nutrition at Cornell University. His research focuses on understanding how mRNA translation is regulated under metabolic stress, particularly how arginine availability influences protein synthesis and cell metabolism. He combines techniques such as ribosome profiling, confocal microscopy, and proteomics to uncover molecular mechanisms that link translation control to cancer cell growth. His work also explores how tumor-derived mRNAs are translated in normal somatic cells to advance mRNA-based immunotherapies

I’m a first-year master’s student in the Dietetic concentration, working in the Aydemir Lab to study how zinc and its transporters regulate intestinal function and metabolic processes. My research interests include gut–adipocyte crosstalk and the role of zinc and zinc transporters in glucose and lipid metabolism. I earned my B.S. in Clinical Nutrition from the University of California, Davis, where I developed a strong foundation in clinical dietetics and nutrition support.