Jody Albright, a former business owner from Salisbury, is a 2011 graduate of Rowan-Cabarrus Comunity College with AS and AAS in Biotechnology degrees. He has recently joined the NRI in Dr. Bennett's lab as a laboratory technician. Jody is excited to use his recent education to develop several new protocols for the laboratory .

Dr. Baah is from Ghana where he practiced medicine before migrating to the United States. He says, "My passion to go into medicine stems from the experiences I had growing up in a small town of about a thousand people with limited access to healthcare. I developed the passion to go into research because I believe it is the driving force to the future of medicine." He graduated from UNC-Charlotte with a Master's in Epidemiology in May 2020. His areas of interest include genetic epidemiology, nutrigenomics, and nutrigenetics. He currently works with Dr. Martin Kohlmeier to strengthen training programs in precision nutrition, particularly for physicians.

Jamie joined the NRI as the Property Security Officer in September 2021, and is the person who welcomes our employees and visitors as they enter the building. In his Property Security Officer role, Jamie is tasked with building security, directing human study participants to the appropriate locations, and the central contact for our delivery vendors. Jamie will also assist Facilities with special projects on occasion, and will partner with NCRC Security, NCRC EHS, Kannapolis Police Department, and University resources on campus safety initiatives. Jamie is a retired sergeant from the Kannapolis Police Department, where he served in the Patrol, Criminal Investigation, and Vice Narcotics divisions. Additionally, he served on the agency’s Honor Guard Team and as a negotiator for their Special Response Team. He received numerous commendations and awards during his 30-year career in law enforcement.

Lauren joined the NRI in March 2020 as a data analyst in the Voruganti Lab. She has recently completed her Master of Science degree in Bioinformatics and Genomics, and will begin her Ph.D. in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics this fall. She is assisting the Voruganti Lab group with data analysis for the Viva La Familia study at NRI, and she is also working on an urban microbial metagenomics study at UNCC. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and traveling.

Walden joined the NRI in September 2015, in the role of Technology Support Technician. He has a passion for all things technology related, and enjoys tinkering and learning about new tech. He comes to the NRI after serving T-Mobile, AT&T, and CompUSA. He is excited to bring that knowledge and passion, as well as a strong desire to help people, to the NRI. Walden is currently attending UNC-Charlotte, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a concentration in Software, Systems, and Networks.

Catherine is an undergraduate student at UNC Chapel Hill and is pursuing a BS in Biology with Minors in Chemistry and Medical Anthropology. She has recently rejoined Dr. Hursting’s lab and will be studying the effects of hypoxia in cancer cells with Dr. Kiesel. In her free time, she enjoys baking, hiking, traveling, and finding the best foodie spots around town. Her long-term plans are to attend medical school and become a primary care physician or a cardiologist.

Rachel Joined the UNC Chapel Hill NRI in August 2020 as a Research Technician in the Sumner Lab. As a local of Rowan County, specifically China Grove, she graduated from Catawba College in 2020 with a B.S. in Biochemistry. She has always wanted to have some kind of involvement at the NCRC ever since she saw the campus being built as a little girl. Now, her dream has come true. She plans to further her involvement in metabolomics during the admirable times here at the NRI.

In 2009, Shena joined the North Carolina Research Campus as a member of Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute. In 2011, she began her professional career in higher education at NRI. Since then, Shena has served at UNC Charlotte and the Town of Davidson. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the College of New Jersey. In 2022, Shena rejoined NRI as Personnel Administrator.

Emily began working at UNC Chapel Hill in August 2019 as a doctoral student. She is studying the metabolic links between obesity and ferroptosis in breast cancer under the mentorship of Dr. Hursting. Prior to her time in Chapel Hill, Emily attended UC Berkeley where she graduated with a degree in Molecular Toxicology.

Nayeli Duckworth is an undergraduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill pursuing a BSPH in Nutrition, BS in Biology, and minoring in Chemistry. She is a research assistant in Dr. Smith's Lab at the Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis, NC. She hopes to attend graduate school to receive a PhD to become a researcher and university professor. In her free time, she enjoys baking and exercising.

Victoria joined the UNC Nutrition Research Institute in September 2021 as a Clinical Research Specialist. She recently completed her Master of Science degree in Nutrition and Rural Development from Ghent University. Victoria has nearly a decade of experience assisting clinical trials and population-based surveillance studies, and she is passionate about nutritional epidemiology and food security. Her career ambition is to promote equitable access to health and nutrition. Victoria will work with Dr. Martin Kohlmeier and assist the projects headed at the Human Research Core.

Addam, who received his Bachelors in Biology, Minor in Chemistry Degree at Catawba College in May 2022, joined the Nutrition Research Institute in June 2022 as a research technician. Addam is taking a gap year from academics to further his research experience in his field before pursuing his Ph.D. in cellular and molecular Biology specializing in cancer prevention and treatments. Outside of the lab, Addam is a devout Marvel fan who enjoys traveling, hiking, swimming, and listening to music

Adam earned a BS in Biology from UNC Wilmington in 2017 and worked in a pharmaceutical company before moving to Charlotte to start graduate school. Adam graduated from UNC Charlotte with an MS in Bioinformatics in May 2021. Before joining the Sumner lab in March 2022, he worked as medical lab tech at UNC Charlotte's COVID testing lab running PCR tests for students, faculty, and staff. Outside of the lab, Adam enjoys mountain biking, classical music, and playing piano.

Brooke Giles is a 2011 graduate of Campbell University. She recently rejoined the NRI as the Marketing Asset Manager in the Institutional Advancement office. She previously served the NRI as a Communications Specialist from 2014-2017. Brooke is responsible for a variety of communication media to stimulate interest in research, programs, events, and activities conducted by the NRI. She develops original content and suggests creative ways to attract more audiences and supporters, and promotes our brand with the goal of increasing traffic to NRI digital properties for public and donor engagement and event attendance.

Emma joined the Hursting Lab in Chapel Hill in spring of 2020 under the mentorship of Dr. Ximena Bustamante-Marin. She is an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health in the Nutrition program through the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Languages and Cultures and a minor in chemistry. Emma is excited to become more familiar with laboratory techniques and to learn more about the world of research in Dr. Hursting's lab, and she hopes to attend medical school following her undergraduate career.

Neplus Hall joined the NRI in February 2022 as part of a new dental research study being led by the Kohlmeier Team. She has her dental assisting certification, is a certified emergency medical technician, and has an AAS in dental hygiene. She enjoys serving her dental community through prevention, dental therapy, and maintaining exceptional oral care. She is excited to embrace her journey into research. Neplus is very active in her church, enjoys teaching CPR, kayaking, and gardening.

Julie joined the NRI in 2012 as a Project Manager for Dr. Philip May focusing on the prevalence, child characteristics, and maternal risk factors of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in the United States and South Africa. She earned her doctorate from the UNC-CH Department of Nutrition in 2021 and is now a postdoctoral research associate with Dr. May. Julie earned her BS in Health Science from Truman State University and a Masters in Public Health, with a concentration in Health Education and Health Behavior, from UNC-CH. Julie is also a Certified Health Education Specialist.

David Horita joined the NRI in 2013 as a grant writer. He assists faculty by identifying funding opportunities and writing/editing research proposals. David developed research and writing experience in metabolism and cell signaling during his 13 years as a faculty member in Biochemistry at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He did postdoctoral work at the NCI/NIH and obtained a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and a BA in chemistry from Carleton College.

Tanner joined the NRI in August 2021 as a Laboratory Animal Coordinator in the Cheatham Lab. She graduated from Western Carolina University in 2019 with a BS in Biology. While attending WCU she worked as a seasonal research technician studying Mississippi’s endangered dusky gopher frog and temporarily resided in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s facilities to assist with captive-rearing and mark-recapture surveys. From here, she gained great interest in both research and laboratory work, especially dealing with animals.

Faustina hails from south India. She completed her BS, in plant biotechnology from Stella Maris College in Chennai, India and her MS in biotechnology from Sathyabama University in Chennai, India. She eventually moved to US for her husband’s job and joined Rowan Cabarrus Community College to find a door that would lead to a career in research. She joined the Voruganti lab as an intern from RCCC in January 2019 and is now a PhD candidate in the same lab. Faustina is excited to be a part of NRI and the remarkable research that is happening here. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the beaches and mountains of the Carolinas with her husband and kids.

Martin grew up in Kannapolis and fell in love with this community, graduating from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College with an associate’s degree in science with a concentration in environmental biology. His interests include philosophy, history, cooking, video games. And raising his hens! As a local, Martin’s also an expert in the great debate between Sun Drop and Cheerwine! When you see him, ask which he prefers!

Violet works as a postdoctoral researcher for Dr. Stephen Hursting. Her research focuses on metabolic perturbations that arise in cancer cells and how these perturbations change throughout the course of metastatic progression, particularly in the context of hypoxia. She earned her doctorate and masters degrees from the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University, and her bachelors in biological sciences from the University of Delaware.

Monia joined the NRI in September 2021 as a member of the Finance and Grants team. She graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a bachelor of science degree in Marketing. Monia is excited to be part of the team at NRI. In her spare time, Monia enjoys reading, photography, and painting.

Blanca Castro Magdonel, PhD joined the NRI in September 2021 as a postdoctoral research associate in the Trujillo Laboratory, where she is working on choline molecular mechanisms involved in autistic brain development. Dr. Castro Magdonel earned her Doctor of Science degree in Pharmacology from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV) in Mexico City, Mexico. Her studies included work on mechanisms involved in chemoresistance and microRNAs as biomarkers in Retinoblastoma. Dr. Castro Magdonel taught pharmacology and molecular biology classes for undergraduate and graduate programs in Medicine and Nursing programs at Universidad de Guanajuato in Celaya, México before joining the NRI. Dr. Castro Magdonel views her scientific research as her contribution toward helping those facing health problems.

Baba graduated from Gambia College School of Education with an AS in science and mathematics. He taught Junior Secondary School science for three years before migrating to the U.S. to pursue higher education. Baba joined the Voruganti lab as a student intern from RCCC before officially joining the team as research technician in July 2015.

Jonathan, a local resident, joined the NRI in late July 2021 as a Research Technician in Dr. Sergey Krupenko’s Lab. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry and a Minor in Health and Society from UNC Chapel Hill in May 2021. Jonathan’s plan is to gain some lab experience and then further his education in the next couple of years.

Madison joined the Nutrition Research Institute in early Fall of 2020, transferring from the NCSU Plants for Human Health Institute to complete an internship as part of her education and training. As a local of Rowan County Madison went to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and graduated with an Associate’s degree in Biotechnology. Their Work-Based Learning program is what led Madison to the Mooney lab where she hopes to refine her skillset before pursuing a Master’s degree in Microbiology or Ecology. Madison is thrilled for the opportunity the Mooney Lab presents in her early research career.

Jenna is an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is pursuing a BSPH in Nutrition through the Gillings School of Global Public Health with a minor in Chemistry. She is a research assistant in Dr. Hursting's lab and has been working under Dr. Bustamante-Marin to help research the connection between obesity and breast cancer. Jenna hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, which is inspired by her local and global volunteer work. In her free time, she enjoys painting, being outdoors and playing with her pets.

Sabrina graduated from UNC Charlotte with a degree in biology, working in a bioinformatics lab during her time there. She began as a student intern in the Sumner lab and is now working as a research technician, with a goal of pursuing a masters or doctoral degree in nutrition. She is very excited to continue working with all the amazing people at the NRI. In her spare time, Sabrina enjoys cooking, kayaking, and dirt biking.

Carolyn Munson graduated in 2015 from Rowan Cabarrus Community College with an AAS in biotechnology. She is working as a research technician in the Surzenko Lab at the NRI. Much of her work is directed by Dr. Natalia Surzenko performing immunohistochemistry work.

Carsyn graduated from Wingate University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in biology. After returning to North Carolina, she joined the NRI as a Lab Animal Coordinator in the Cheatham Lab. Here she will be conducting research on the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure when coupled with choline and DHA supplementation.

Betty has served Lettuce Eat Café customers with a positive attitude and a smile since joining the NRI in 2016! She is a career service industry professional. Betty is a North Carolina native, growing up in the eastern part of the state, then raising her family locally. In her spare time, Betty enjoys classic titles from her extensive movie collection, and enjoying time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren!

Hannah obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics in May 2022 from Texas Tech University. She joined the NRI and began her doctoral studies in Fall 2022. She works in Dr. Mooney's lab to research fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

Before getting a B.S. in Biology from UNC Charlotte, Bill completed an A.A.S. in Biotechnology at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and worked with protein-polyphenol aggregates as a technician in Dr. Lila's lab at PHHI.  After graduating, their interests in the intersections of Nutritional Biology and Social Ecology have led their work/study through diverse occupations such as greenhouse management, restoration agriculture, community organizing, and worker cooperatives (currently they are involved in an exploratory group to build natural houses and pools, and do permaculture landscaping).  They are also very excited to be back in a lab environment and interested in continuing their education by entering a graduate program in the near future.

David Raines graduated from The College of Wooster in May 2014 with a bachelor’s in biology. He’s very excited to be working as a laboratory technician in Sergery Krupenko’s lab. David enjoys spending his free time outdoors herping for reptiles and amphibians; hiking, and backpacking.

Ariana joined the NRI in November 2021 as a research technician in the Hursting lab. She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2021 with a BS in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Health and Society. She's excited to work as a research technician and gain lab experience. In her free time, Ariana enjoys playing video games and creating art.

Julian is a Kannapolis native who is an undergraduate student at UNC Chapel Hill where he is pursuing a BS in Biology and a BA in Religious Studies. He is a senior and a Chancellor's Science Scholar. Julian is a research assistant in Dr. Goode's lab where he is studying new approaches for weight loss to reduce obesity rates. He is interested in exploring a possible career in research, but he would like to go to medical school to become a pediatric oncologist. Some of Julian's interests include reading, playing with his two dogs, and hanging out with his long-time high school friends.

Nipun Saini joined the NRI in the summer of 2017 for her second postdoctoral position and will be working with Dr. Smith on fetal alcohol syndrome. She completed her PhD. in Biochemistry from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where her dissertation was focused on the characterization of inhibitors of fatty acid transport protein-2 in cell and animal models to reduce obesity, lipotoxicity and related diseases. After earning her PhD, she moved to the North Carolina Research Campus as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at North Carolina Central University and worked on understanding the mechanism of microRNA-mediated regulation in metformin treated breast cancer cells.

Molly graduated from NC State University with a BS in Animal Science in May 2021. Before joining the Sumner lab in March 2022, she worked with African penguins and Asian small-clawed otters at the Greensboro Science Center. Molly loves animals and hopes to one day attend graduate school to study animal nutrition. In her free time, she enjoys birding, painting, and playing the clarinet.

Jon Shea joined the Nutrition Research Institute in the summer of 2017. He is a graduate of UNC Charlotte’s Bioinformatics program.  He has worked in several labs working on research in single cell sequencing studying the transcriptomic changes in yeast and c. elegans as well as plant metabolites using HPLC and mass spectrometry.

Ashlee is a medical student at UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine and is pursuing a scholarly concentration in nutrition. She recently joined Dr. Hursting's lab to study obesity-cancer associations and how these translate to a clinical setting. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and creating recipes for her food blog, running, road biking, traveling to new places and cheering on the Tar Heels! Ashlee is from Lenoir, NC and completed her BS in Biology at UNC Chapel Hill.

Katie joined the NRI in August of 2019. She is a nutritional immunologist and received her PhD in Animal Science from North Carolina State University. Her dissertation focused on long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation as a means to dampen immunosuppressive effects of respiratory pathogens. She is now investigating impacts of fetal alcohol syndrome on Alzheimer-related pathologies and behavioral impairments.

Torri received her Bachelors in Biology at UNC Charlotte in 2020. She will be receiving her Master's in Bioinformatics in May of 2022. While pursuing her Master's degree, she worked as a graduate research assistant identifying, monitoring and sequencing the evolution of SAR-CoV-2 variants with positive clinical samples using Next-Generation Sequencing. She's a former student-athlete so in her free time she likes to go for runs and workout with a group of friends and lots of music!

Janie joined the Nutrition Research Institute in May 2022. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Janie has worked in the healthcare field for over 18 years, mostly in public health within the dental field. She is a native of Rowan county and currently lives in China Grove. In her free time, she enjoys spending her time with her husband, 2 daughters, son-in-law and grandson.