Dr. Trujillo leads a research lab at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute focused on how nutrients shape the developing brain. Her work centers on choline, a micronutrient that drives the molecular processes underlying memory, cognition, and long-term neural health.

Using molecular neuroscience and epigenetics, her team investigates how choline availability shapes neural progenitor fate, how early nutritional environments alter methylation potential, and how these shifts translate into neurodevelopmental and metabolic outcomes. Research in the lab spans mouse models, human cohorts, and mechanistic cell studies, connecting molecular signals to real biological consequences, from cortical neurogenesis to neurological disease pathways.

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The lab also examines how genetic variation influences individual choline requirements, opening the door to personalized nutrition strategies and early-life precision interventions.

“At the core of the lab is a belief that rigorous science and creativity can coexist. Trainees are given ownership of ideas alongside the structure, support, and trust they need to grow into independent thinkers.”

The lab asks bold questions, employs cutting-edge tools, and works with intention, with the overarching goal of generating science that moves the field forward and reshapes our understanding of nutrition’s role in the developing brain.