NGx
Precision Nutrition for Exercise Across the Lifespan Short Course
Short course designed for graduate students, health professionals, fitness clinicians, and nutrition scientists from academia, agencies, and industry.
The 2026 NGx short course focuses on precision nutrition in the context of exercise and physical health, bringing together researchers and practitioners to explore how genetics, metabolism, and lifestyle influence health and performance across the lifespan. The program features expert-led lectures, keynote presentations, and guided tours and demonstrations of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute’s Clinical Research Core.
The NGx short course is brought to you by the UNC Nutrition Research Institute and the UNC Nutrition and Obesity Research Center and will take place on the North Carolina Research Campus at Kannapolis City Hall.
Registration opens January 19.
Registration includes ground transportation during the short course, daily refreshments and snacks, lunch Monday through Wednesday, and a welcome dinner on Sunday evening.
Keynote Speaker
John Jakicic, PhD
Senior Investigator of Obesity, Physical Activity, and Chronic Diseases
University of Kansas Medical Center
Dr. Jakicic’s primary area of research is the study of obesity and body weight regulation, and their relationship to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Within this research area, he has a particular focus on physical activity and the implementation of novel interventions to enhance engagement and effectiveness. His work also includes a long history of research aimed at determining the appropriate dose of physical activity for long-term body weight regulation.
Featured Speakers
Brian Bennett, PhD
Research Leader, USDA
Research Focus: Nutrigenomics of diet, gene expression, and cardiovascular disease
Abbie Smith-Ryan, PhD
Professor of Exercise Physiology, Associate Professor of Nutrition Director, Applied Physiology Lab Co-Director, Human Performance Center, UNC-Chapel Hill
Research Focus: Exercise physiology, women’s health, metabolism, and performance
Saroja Voruganti, PhD
Professor of Nutrition
Director, Clinical Research Core UNC-Chapel Hill
Research Focus: Nutritional genomics and genetic diversity shaping disease risk
Stephen Hursting, PhD
Professor of Nutrition, UNC-Chapel Hill
Research Focus: GLP-1s, obesity, cancer risk, and the future of precision nutrition
Goals
Educate current and future researchers, clinicians, and precision nutrition professionals.
Provide cutting-edge research directions and methodologies in precision nutrition.
Foster collaboration, innovation, and networking between students, postdocs, faculty, clinicians, and industry professionals.
Features
Unique – Hands-on demonstrations with tools such as FibroScan and DEXA to explore body composition and metabolic health.
Keynote address, lectures, and interactive workshops.
Opportunities for registered dieticians to earn CPEUs.
Attendees
The NRI has produced this short course since 2016 with attendees and presenters from around the world.
Past attendees include graduate students, postdocs, faculty, industry researchers, physicians, and registered dietitians.
Annual attendance is capped at 80.
Registration
Where We Are
UNC Nutrition Research Institute
500 Laureate Way
Kannapolis, NC 28081
704-250-5000
UNC Nutrition Research Institute
The UNC Nutrition Research Institute building is located on the 350-acre NC Research Campus in Kannapolis.
UNC Chapel Hill
The Nutrition Research Institute is a unit of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With an environment that inspires pioneering research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, UNC Chapel Hill has long been an agent for economic prosperity in North Carolina. At the NRI we are proud of our Carolina heritage and to be representing it on the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis.
NC Research Campus
The North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, just north of Charlotte, is home to eight university research centers, plus industry, government and nonprofit organizations that share the goal of empowering human health through nutrition. Collectively, scientists focus on understanding the science behind precision nutrition and safer, more nutritious crops and foods.