Graduate Research
Explore the research of our graduate students through the NC State Libraries Repository of Theses and Dissertations (links below). With students from 4 departments in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, there is quite a diversity of research generated at the Plants for Human Health Institute. Find information about our current graduate students in the People Directory.
Modesta Abugu, PhD, 2025
PHHI Advisor: Massimo Iorizzo; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Dissertation: Volatile Composition, Sensory Attributes and Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) Associated with Flavor Traits in Cooked Sweetpotato
Malak Alghamdi, PhD, 2025
PHHI Advisor: Slavko Komarnytski; Discipline: Nutrition
Dissertation: Understanding the Role of Minerals and Phenolics Interactions for Immune Health Enhancement
Emilio Balbuena, PhD, 2024
PHHI Advisor: Abdulkerim Eroglu; Discipline: Biochemistry
Dissertation: The Biochemical Effects of Carotenoids in Orange Carrots on Obesity-Associated Colonic and Hepatic Dysfunction
Connor Balfany, PhD, 2024
PHHI Advisor: Slavko Komarnytski; Discipline: Food Science
Dissertation: Advancing the Utilization of Leaf Proteins: Optimization of Extraction Protocols and Comparative Functional Characterization
Abby Bennett, MS, 2024
PHHI Advisor: Mary Ann Lila; Discipline: Nutrition
Thesis: Deconstructing Polyphenols: Utilizing Exogenous Fermentation Techniques to Generate Phenolic Acid Metabolites from Wild Blueberry
Yang Bian, MS, 2012
PHHI Advisor: Allan Brown; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Thesis: Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Cultivated Blueberries (Vaccinium section Cyanococcus spp.)
Christine Bradish Cash, MS, 2011; PhD, 2016
PHHI Advisor: Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Thesis: Measured Variation in Flavonoid Composition of North Carolina Red Raspberry through Targeted Metabolite Profiling
Dissertation: Studies of Linkage Mapping, Trait Heritability, and Pedigrees for Breeding Improvement of Southeastern Black and Red Raspberry
Haley Burtch, MS, 2020
PHHI Advisor: Mario Ferruzzi; Discipline: Food Science
Thesis: Adaptation of an Existing In Vitro Digestion Model for High Throughput Phenolic Bioaccessibility Phenotyping within Cultivated (Highbush) Blueberry Varieties
Weston Bussler, PhD, 2017
PHHI Advisor: Slavko Komarnytsky; Discipline: Nutrition
Dissertation: Uncovering Novel Loci in Crop Genomes to Maximize their Health Benefits
Samantha Case, PhD, 2019
PHHI Advisor: Sirius Li; Discipline: Plant Biology
Dissertation: Genetic Association Mapping of Agronomic, Fruit Quality, and Metabolic Traits in Blueberry and Broccoli
Yu Chun Chiu, MS, 2015
PHHI Advisors: Allan Brown, Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Thesis: QTL Mapping of Flavonoid and Phenolic Acid Variation in Broccoli
Monique Carvalho Templeton, PhD, 2022
PHHI Advisor: Colin Kay; Discipline: Nutrition
Dissertation: Evaluating Plant-derived (Poly)phenol Bioavailability via Broad-Spectrum Metabolomics using Highbush Blueberries as a Model Fruit
Qirui Cui, PhD, 2025
PHHI Advisor: Tzung Fu Hseih; Discipline:
Dissertation:
Courtney DeKalb, MS, 2017
PHHI Advisor: Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Thesis: Value-Added Opportunities for North Carolina Growers and Processors: Tomato and Watermelon
Diane Ducharme, PhD, 2019
PHHI Advisor: Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Dissertation: Incidence and Persistence of Salmonella and Escherichia coli in Environmental Samples from North Carolina Tomato Production Systems
Ezgi Ersoy, MS 2025
PHHI Advisor: Abdulkerim Eroglu; Discipline: Nutrition
Thesis: Effects of Carotenoids in Carrots on Obesity Induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Inflammation in a High-Fat Diet Mouse Model
Diego Garcia, MS, 2024
PHHI Advisor: Marvin Moncada; Discipline: Food Science
Thesis: Optimizing Production Parameters to Obtain a Novel Spray Dried Ingredient with Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Rice Flour using Response Surface Methodology
Janelle Gutierrez, MS, 2025
PHHI Advisor: Slavko Komarnytsky; Discipline: Food Science
Thesis: Potential for the Valorization of Green Leaf and Oilseed Byproducts
Jordan Hartman, MS, 2017
PHHI Advisor: Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Thesis: Investigating Citrulline in Cucurbits: A Survey of Cucurbitaceae and Heritability Estimations in Watermelon
Micaela Hayes, PhD, 2021
PHHI Advisor: Mario Ferruzzi; Discipline: Food Science
Dissertation: Influence of Spinach Genotype and Processing Method on Chlorophyll and Carotenoid Bioaccessibility in the Upper and Lower Gastrointestinal Tract
Brianna Haynes, MS, 2024
PHHI Adviser: Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Characterization of Fruit Composition of North Carolina Strawberry Germplasm
Yu-Hung Hung, PhD, 2018
PHHI Advisor: Tzung-Fu Hsieh; Discipline: Plant Biology
Dissertation: Conserved Domains Required for DEMETER 5-Methylcytosine DNA Glycosylase/lyase Function in planta
Kimberly Palatini Jackson, PhD, 2017
PHHI Advisor: Slavko Komarnytsky; Discipline: Nutrition
Dissertation: Anti-Diabetic Effects of Bitter Botanicals
Raymond Jacobs, PhD, 2015
PHHI Advisor: Jeremy Pattison; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Dissertation: Inheritance of Rate-Limiting Foliar Resistance to Anthracnose Crown Rot and Fruit Rot in Cultivated Strawberry
Chen Jiang, PhD, 2016
PHHI Advisor: Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Dissertation: Postharvest Quality of Lettuce, Muskmelon, and Tomato after Application of Essential Oils as Innovative Disinfectants
Josh Kellogg, PhD, 2014
PHHI Advisor: Mary Ann Lila; Discipline: Food Science
Dissertation: Multifaceted Bioactivity of Alaskan Marine Algae Against Metabolic Syndrome Targets
Moo Jung Kim, PhD, 2014
PHHI Advisor: Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Dissertation: Organically Grown Blackberries: Storage Life, Phenolic Composition, and Anti-inflammatory Activity
Mengya Li, MHS, 2018
PHHI Advisor: Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Ying-Chen Lin, MS, 2015
PHHI Advisor: Allan Brown; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Thesis: Improved and Novel Resources for Blueberry Mapping and Genomics
Su Liu, MS, 2020
PHHI Advisor: Massimo Iorizzo, Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Thesis: Improved Hybrid de novo Genome Assembly, Resistance Gene Prediction and Annotation of Carrot (Daucus carota)
Ashley McAmis, MS, 2025
PHHI Advisor: Andrew Neilson; Discipline: Food Science
Thesis: Inhibition of Gut Microbial Trimethylamine Production by Blueberries: The Potential Role of Chlorogenic Acid
Fadia Milhem, PhD, 2023
PHHI Advisor: Slavko Komarnytsky; Discipline: Nutrition
Dissertation: Mechanisms Underlying the Resistance to Diet-Induced Obesity
Zulfiqar Mohamedshah, MS, 2021
PHHI Advisor: Mario Ferruzzi
Thesis: Comparative Assessment of Phenolic Bioaccessibility and Bioavailability from 100% Juice and Whole Fruit – A Preclinical Approach
Bryan Munoz, PhD, 2021
PHHI Advisor: Massimo Iorizzo; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Dissertation: Characterization of Edible Banana Germplasm for Nutritional Improvement and Resistance to Black Sigatoka Disease
Heeduk Oh, PhD, 2024
PHHI Advisors: Massimo Iorizzo and Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Dissertation: Fruit Characteristics and Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) Associated with Quality Traits in Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.)
John Overall, MS, 2021
Thesis: Anthocyanin Structural Diversity and Gut Microbiota Interactions Contribute to Divergent Metabolic Health Outcomes after Berry Nutritional Interventions in Diet-Induced Obesity
Erika Pambianchi, PhD, 2021
PHHI Advisor: Giuseppe Valacchi; Discipline: Animal Science and Poultry Science
Dissertation: Topical Intervention to Prevent Pollution Induced Extrinsic Aging and Aberrant OxInflammatory Responses in Orthodox and Innovative Skin Models
Chinmayee Panda, PhD, 2017
PHHI Advisor: Sirius Li; Discipline: Plant Biology
Dissertation: Isolation and Characterization of a Suppressor of an Arabidopsis Lignin-deficient Dwarf Mutant
Nathalie Plundrich, MS, 2014; PhD, 2017
PHHI Advisor: Mary Ann Lila; Discipline: Food Science
Thesis: Novel Hypoallergenic Peanut Protein-Polyphenol Edible Matrices
Dissertation: Protein-Polyphenol Complexation to Reduce Food Protein Allergenicity
Kathryn Racine, PhD, 2022
PHHI Advisor: Andrew Neilson; Discipline: Food Science
Dissertation: Protective Effects of Cocoa Flavanols Against Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes are Influenced by Biological Sex and Host Gut Microbiome Composition
Jade Schlamb, MS, 2024
PHHI Advisor: Marvin Moncada; Discipline: Food Science
Thesis: A Novel Spray Dried Hydrolyzed Insect Protein: Optimization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Parameters and Techno-functional Characterization
Margaret Schneider, PhD, 2016
PHHI Advisor: Mary Ann Lila; Discipline: Food Science
Dissertation: Formation of Whey Protein-Polyphenol Aggregates and Incorporation into Various Food Structures
Sierra Smirnov, MS, 2019
PHHI Advisor: Debora Esposito; Discipline: Animal Science
Thesis: Regenerative Medicine: Effects of Plant Bioactives on Muscle Protection and Wound Healing
Scott Smith, PhD, 2017
PHHI Advisor: Tzung Fu Hsieh; Discipline: Plant Biology
Dissertation: Consensus Mapping and Association Mapping in Hexaploid Oat
Nikki Thompson, MS, 2023
PHHI Advisor: Debora Esposito; Discipline: Animal Science
Thesis: Brassinosteroid Supplementation as a Novel Nutritional Approach to Enhance Animal Feed Efficiency and Growth Performance for Meat Production
Marlee Trandel, PhD, 2020
PHHI Advisor: Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Dissertation: Cell Wall Polysaccharides in Grafted and Non-grafted ‘Liberty’ Watermelon with Hollow Heart
Angela Vong, MS, 2022
PHHI Advisor: Slavko Komarnytsky; Discipline: Food Science
Thesis: Small Phenolic Acids in Rum Fermentation Products
Charles Wagner, PhD, 2020
PHHI Advisor: Slavko Komarnytsky; Discipline: Plant Biology
Dissertation: Evidence Based Validation of Botanical Interventions from Scotland and Medieval Wales
Kathya Wainwright, MS, 2025
PHHI Advisor: Marvin Moncada; Discipline: Food Science
Thesis: Process Optimization and Characterization of a Novel Mannose Syrup from Palm Kernel Cake Using Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Response Surface Methodology
Kathleen Walter, PhD, 2019
PHHI Advisor: Debora Esposito; Discipline: Animal Science
Dissertation: Enhancement of Porcine Alveolar Macrophage Response to Respiratory Pathogens by Dietary Supplementation of Long-chain PUFA
Xueying Xie, MS, 2019
PHHI Advisor: Slavko Komarnytsky; Discipline: Food Science
Thesis: Oat Avenanthramides Contribute to Attenuation of Intestinal Glucose Absorption
Victoria Yell, PhD, 2024
PHHI Advisor: Sirius Li; Discipline:
Dissertation: The Contribution of Epigenetic and Transcriptional Regulators in Lignin-Modification-Induced Dwarfism
Paul You, PhD, 2023
PHHI Advisor: Moncada Discipline: Food Science
Dissertation: Comparison of Industrially Friendly Extraction Methods of Mushroom Proteins from White Button Mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) and Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus.ostreatus.) and Their Physicochemical and Functional Properties of the Proteins
Ashley Yow, PhD, 2022
PHHI Advisors: Massimo Iorizzo, Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie; Discipline: Horticultural Science
Dissertation: Developing a Genomic Framework for Studying Agronomic and Nutritional Traits in Pineapple
Kelsey Zielinski, MFS, 2019
PHHI Advisor: Mary Ann Lila; Discipline: Food Science