UNC Nutrition Research Institute faculty member Saroja Voruganti, PhD, has been promoted to the rank of professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) Interim Director Deborah Tate, PhD, announced the promotion with heartfelt congratulations, recognizing the importance of this achievement, “Dr. Voruganti’s work in nutritional genomics is critical to our understanding of the interplay between genetics, nutrition, and health. Her promotion is a testament to her exceptional research accomplishments, her foundational teaching abilities, her unwavering commitment to her students and many years of dedicated service to the NRI and the University.”
An appointment to professor—the highest rank at the University—is reserved only for those who have demonstrated sustained achievement. They must have obtained national recognition for their work, demonstrating how their work has contributed to a greater understanding of issues in public health and the advancement of science.
Voruganti’s research on the effects of genes and nutrient-gene interactions on the risk of metabolic diseases is internationally recognized. As an expert in her field, she was elected as a Fellow of the American Heart Association by the Council of Functional Genomics and Translational Biology, as well as elected to a leadership position with the International Society of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics.
At the NRI, Voruganti established and directs the Precision Nutrition Core, and through her guidance and expertise, the core obtained CLIA certification, allowing its lab to conduct Human DNA genotyping as a service for other researchers, scientists, and professionals in private and public industries. She also directs the NRI’s Clinical Research Core, which provides human nutrition research investigators with multidisciplinary services and top-of-the-line equipment.
Voruganti joined the faculty and became a principal investigator at the NRI in 2013. She celebrated ten years at the NRI earlier this year. Voruganti says she is honored to be “contributing to a deeper understanding of the interplay of nutrition and genetic factors in health outcomes, especially obesity in underrepresented and underserved populations.”
The entire team at the NRI offers warm congratulations to Dr. Saroja Voruganti.
Read more about Saroja Voruganti’s career path to the NRI, and about her research and publications.
