Nutritional Sciences

Nutrigenomics, Inflammation and Obesity Research Lab (NIOR)

Yujiao Zu, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor, Nutritional Sciences, Texas Tech University

Dr. Yujiao Zu joined the Nutrigenomics, Inflammation & Obesity Research (NIOR) Lab in the Department of Nutritional Sciences in 2020 as a research assistant professor. Yujiao received her B.S. in Biological Engineering and M.S. in Food Sciences from Tianjin University of Science and Technology in China, and Ph.D. and two-year postdoctoral training in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Tech University. Dr. Zu has published more than ten peer-reviewed and research articles in nanotechnology, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. She has many innovative research experiences and entrepreneurial activities in the interaction between nutrients and obesity. She has received an NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) fund ($50,000) as an entrepreneurial lead and was a co-inventor on an international patent (PCT/US19/19036) of an anti-obesity product.

Dr. Zu conducts research in nutrition and chronic diseases. Her research focused on investigating interactions and underlying mechanisms between dietary components (such as omega 3 fatty acids and resveratrol) and obesity-associated disorders, especially insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. She is also interested in using nanotechnology to enhance bioactivities of phytochemicals for the prevention and treatment of obesity and aging on immune and inflammatory diseases. Currently, she is working on an NIH funded (PI: Moustaid-Moussa) project to investigate responsible mechanisms of omega 3 fatty acids and temperature effects on subcutaneous adipose tissue browning independent of uncoupling protein 1. She also involved in a project to determine the beneficial effect of omega 3 fatty acids in Alzheimer's disease, which may be attributed to their anti-inflammatory and neurotrophic properties.

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