GFRP Team

The Global Food Research Program team is composed of faculty, staff, trainees, and students from many different backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities, each contributing their own expertise, skills, and perspectives to our collective mission.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) are core values at the Global Food Research Program. We expect all members of our team to actively contribute to fostering a workplace climate that is welcoming and supportive for all.

We are now recruiting PhD students to begin in fall 2025 under the advisership of Shu Wen Ng! Find out more on our PhD recruitment page.

GFRP group photo
GFRP team, summer 2024

Faculty

Barry M. Popkin

W. R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Nutrition at UNC Chapel Hill

Shu Wen Ng

Professor, Department of Nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Lindsey Smith Taillie

Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Francesca Dillman Carpentier

W. Horace Carter Distinguished Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media

Marissa G. Hall

Assistant Professor, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Staff & Students

Maxime Bercholz

Research associate

Neepa Boode

Programmer analyst

Dhara Buebel

Undergraduate research assistant

Emily Busey

Research communications manager

Emile Charles

Undergraduate research assistant

Carolyn Chelius

Doctoral student

Fernanda Christon

Research specialist

Aline D’Angelo Campos

Doctoral student

Amienata Fatajo

Undergraduate research assistant

Juan Gomez

Undergraduate research assistant

David Gonzalez

Undergraduate research assistant

Cindy Granados Evans

Research specialist

Laina Ewoldt

Doctoral student

Samantha Heller

Research specialist

Gina Bautista Herrera

Research specialist

Isabella Higgins

Doctoral student

Bridget Hollingsworth

Project manager

Erin Jones

Research communications specialist

Melissa Lam-McCarthy

Project coordinator

Jonathan Lara-Arévalo

Doctoral student

Claire Leadbetter

Graduate research assistant

Ridha Masagazi

Undergraduate research assistant

Donna R. Miles

Director of research programming services

Lisa Minaieva

Undergraduate research assistant

Sierra Mullen

Programmer analyst

Violet Noe

Project manager

Jessica Ostrowski

Research specialist

Carmen Prestemon

Doctoral student

Phoebe Ruggles

Doctoral student, FERN intern coordinator

Amanda Schmid

Research communications specialist

Mrignyani Sehgal

Senior research associate

Carlos Roberto Soto Díaz

Doctoral student

Sara Vandersip

Research assistant

Gabriela Vatavuk-Serrati

Doctoral student

Alumni

Tania Aburto

PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology, 2019

Carolina Batis

PhD in Nutrition, Epidemiology, 2013

Lauren Butler

PhD in Nutrition, Epidemiology, 2016

Christina Chauvenet

Postdoctoral Research Associate, 2019–2020

Checkna Diawara

FERN Fellow, 2023, undergraduate research assistant

Elizabeth Dunford

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 2015–2018

Emily Duffy

PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology, 2023

Michael Essman

PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology, 2020

Christopher Ford

PhD in Nutrition, Epidemiology, 2015

Sarah Frank

PhD in Nutrition, Epidemiology 2023

Anna H. Grummon

PhD in Health Behavior, 2019

Emerald Izuakor

FERN Fellow, 2022

Melissa Lorena Jensen

PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology, 2020

Allison Maria Lacko

PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology, 2019

Nancy López-Olmedo

PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology, 2018

Caitlin Lowery

PhD in Nutrition, Epidemiology 2023

Kevin C. Mathias

PhD in Nutrition, Epidemiology, 2014

M. Fernanda Mediano

PhD in Media and Communication, 2021; Postdoctoral Research Associate, 2021–2023

Te'Aja McCoy

FERN Fellow, 2023

Lilia S. Pedraza

PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology, 2019

Carmen Piernas

PhD in Nutrition, Epidemiology, 2013

Jennifer Poti

PhD in Nutrition, Epidemiology, 2014

Natalia Rebolledo

PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology, 2021

Alexandria (Allie) Reimold

PhD in Health Behavior

Alexandra Ross

Doctoral Student

Juan Carlos Salgado Hernández

PhD in Health Policy and Management, 2019

Aaliyah Saunders

FERN Fellow, 2023

Dalia Stern Solodkin

PhD in Nutrition, Epidemiology 2015

Pourya Valizadeh

Postdoctoral Research Associate, 2018–2021

Tiffany Mo. Williams

FERN Fellow, 2022

Amelia Willits-Smith

Postdoctoral Fellow, 2022–2023

Sydni Wright

FERN Fellow, 2022