The UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) is helping mold the scientific minds of tomorrow by offering unique learning and work experiences for graduate students in sciences related to personalized nutrition, like nutrigenomics and metabolomics. These young researchers, selected from the tops of their classes, are mentored by the NRI’s principal investigators while completing their PhD degrees. Currently our institute is home to 12 doctoral students furthering their education with our elite faculty. Graduate work is demanding and time consuming. We wanted to find out what drives these young investigators to work as hard as they do to gain this specialized education. Below are interviews with a few of our students:
Hannah Petry is a second-year PhD student from San Antonio, TX. Petry is mentored by Sandra Mooney, PhD.
What kind of research do you do here?
I research how nutrient intake during pregnancy impacts fetal brain development.
Why did you go into your field of study?
After seeing how several of my family members were at a loss in understanding nutrition through their pregnancy journeys’ and getting conflicting opinions on what foods to consume during this crucial time, I wanted to help properly communicate to expectant mothers and guide them during pregnancy.
What do you hope to learn and accomplish during your time with the NRI?
During my time at the NRI, I hope to learn how to effectively translate complex scientific theories to the general public and how they can implement this new information in their daily lives.
Where do you think you’ll focus your attention in your career?
In my future career, I want to focus on maternal and infant nutrition.
Is there anything you’d say to motivate someone who wants to pursue research in their education/career?
If someone is interested in pursuing research, I would advise them to find a topic that they are passionate about; this passion will help drive their curiosity throughout their research investigation.
Halle Fogle is a third-year PhD student from Taneytown, MD. Her mentor is Sergey Krupenko, PhD.
What kind of research do you do here?
I study folate metabolism and how this pathway is disrupted in certain diseases. Our lab studies a specific folate protein called 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (ALDH1L1/L2 for abbreviation). This enzyme is completely silenced by its DNA promoter methylation in several cancers and has been suggested to be a candidate tumor suppressor. Therefore, this protein has the potential to be an important target for treating cancer.
Why did you go into your field of study?
I entered the nutrition field because it is a highly relevant public health topic that impacts literally every human being. I want to study personalized nutrition and individual dietary requirements that certain people may need. For example, I’m studying genetic variations in folate-related genes and whether it impacts their metabolism or requirement for folate intake.
What do you hope to learn and accomplish during your time with the NRI?
The NRI offers a unique opportunity because of the various labs all in one location. I want to collaborate with other labs here. My project specifically involves looking at genetic mutations in certain folate-related genes; I will be working with other professors in our building, like Saroja Voruganti, PhD who specializes in nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics.
Where do you think you’ll focus your attention in your career?
I am open to learning about several nutrition-related topics while earning my degree here at the NRI. Throughout my dissertation, I will be gaining a lot of experience working with pre-clinical models (both cell culture and animal work) and this experience will help me develop skills that I can apply to any job afterwards—whether academic or industry based. I want to absorb as much as possible while being at the NRI. Being a student, I am surrounded by an extremely diverse set of professionals in our field, subsequently just getting to work with all the PIs and postdocs in our building is a great experience in itself. I am building connections that I will have for a lifetime while working here.
Is there anything you’d say to motivate someone who wants to pursue research in their education/career?
Working in research is very hands-on, which I love. I get to come into the lab every day and focus on my own projects and then I get to present that work—whether in our small lab meetings or at national conferences. Working in academic research is very fulfilling and you have numerous opportunities for growth.
Lydia Dooley is a second-year PhD student from Knoxville, TN. Dooley is mentored by Saroja Voruganti, PhD.
What kind of research do you do here?
My research is focused on obesity, energy expenditure, and purine metabolism.
Why did you go into your field of study?
In general, I went into nutrition because I wanted to help people improve their health and learn more about how the food people eat influences their health.
What do you hope to learn and accomplish during your time with the NRI?
The field of nutrition is rapidly developing. Being at the NRI allows me to contribute to research in nutrition and improve the health of people.
Where do you think you’ll focus your attention in your career?
Right now, I am really Interested in how the brain influences the metabolism, specifically energy expenditure. I really love learning about all areas of nutrition though, so who knows what I will be studying twenty years down the road.
Is there anything you’d say to motivate someone who wants to pursue research in their education/career?
Research can be incredibly rewarding because it can give you answers to questions that maybe no one else has answered before! It is what drives me to continue down this path. If that is something that motivates you, this might be a career you will thrive in.
