Discovery

How can engineering help advance precision nutrition?

Carolyn Slupsky, Ph.D., professor in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition, brought her expertise in nutrition and precision nutrition to this question as a member of the Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA) Thematic Task Force.

Benjamin Hurrell, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Immunology in the Department of Nutrition at UC Davis, is the recipient of the 2026 UC Davis Early Career Faculty Award for Creativity and Innovation.

Guodong Zhang, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Nutrition and a Nutritionist in Agricultural and Environmental Science at UC Davis. He earned his Ph.D. in Food Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison, before completing three years of postdoctoral research at UC Davis where he began his extensive work in the field of fatty acid metabolism. After working as a professor for either years at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and almost two years at the National University of Singapore, he returned to Davis in 2023 to teach and conduct research in his lab.

Fawaz Haj, D.Phil. is a Professor in the Department of Nutrition with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine at UC Davis. He earned his D.Phil. in Physiology from Oxford University, and later spent 7 years as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. Since joining UC Davis as faculty in 2007, Dr. Haj has continued to lead research and teach students.

As research continues to reinforce the connections between nutrition, metabolism, and disease, diet emerges as a promising tool in cancer prevention and treatment. Dr. Gerardo Mackenzie, Professor and Chair of the UC Davis Department of Nutrition, is leading innovative research that explores how dietary factors influence cancer development, progression, and response to therapy; particularly with pancreatic cancer. By studying the interactions among diet, metabolism, and the immune system, this work aims to better understand how nutrition can support more effective cancer treatments.

The Department of Nutrition is a proud supporter of undergraduate student research. This year at the Undergraduate Research Conference, held April 24–25, fifteen students associated with the Department showcased their work. Their research experiences are made possible by dedicated faculty mentors who sponsor undergraduates in their lab, fostering scientific curiosity and creating meaningful opportunities for both academic and professional growth.

Researchers with the UC Davis Department of Nutrition and the Western Human Nutrition Research Center on campus work together to advance long-term wellbeing in our communities. 

They conduct human clinical trials in areas like precision nutrition and metabolic research to better understand how foods, nutrients and other components affect our health and wellness. With funding support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health, this work delivers real benefits to everyday lives.

Take a look at some of our work in action.

If you’re passionate about advancing the science of nutrition, from molecular mechanisms to public health, consider joining the Graduate Group in Nutritional Biology (GGNB) at UC Davis. As part of the GGNB you will collaborate with leading researchers, explore diverse areas of nutritional science, and contribute to discoveries that shape health outcomes worldwide.

Every August, National Breastfeeding Month invites us to celebrate nursing parents and their dedication. But it also offers an opportunity to reconsider how science and public health approach one of the most foundational aspects of human development: nutrition in early life.

What makes a baby healthy—and what does the latest research say?

In the Department of Nutrition and the Graduate Group in Nutritional Biology at UC Davis, our scientists are diving deep into the wonders of human milk — from its unique composition to how it shapes lifelong health.