People

Principal Investigator:

Hai-Bin Ruan, Ph.D. (Email)
Associate Professor
Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology
Center for Immunology

IBP profile >

Current Members:

Zahra Moazzami, BS (Email)
Nutrition graduate student; Start date: July 2020.
Zahra received her B.S. degree in Nutrition with Honors from South Dakota State University and is pursuing her PhD degree in Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. During her time as an undergraduate student, Zahra was involved in clinical research and served as the coordinator of a clinical study. Zahra is interested in molecular nutrition and metabolism as she believes nutrition-related problems can be tracked more precisely if the underlying contributing factors are studied at the molecular and biochemical levels.

Chenxin Gu, MS (Email)
Researcher 2; Start date: Mar 2022.
Chenxin got his BS in Veterinary Medicine from Shanxi Agricultural University in 2017 and then his MS in Clinical Veterinary Medicine from Northwest A&F University in 2021. His current research focus is aging-associated brown adipose tissue dysfunction.   

Xuechun (Sherry) Chang, BMed, MS (Email)
Nutrition graduate student; Start date: Jan 2023.
Xuechun received her Bachelor's Degree in Medicine (M.D. equivalent) from Xi’an Jiaotong University and her Master’s Degree in Neurology from Fudan University. During master's study, her research focused on the immunopathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica. Xuechun is currently a PhD student in Nutrition Program and working on metabolic crosstalk between intestinal epithelial cells and immune cells in inflammatory bowel disease.

Nicholas Gomez, BS (Email)
IBP graduate student; Start date: Mar 2023.
Nick is from Port St. Lucie, a town near a beach in Florida. After obtaining his Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at the University of Florida, he moved to New York to work at Albert Einstein College of Medicine as a PREP Scholar to study the molecular mechanisms of endosomal microautophagy. His interest in aging led him to explore how metabolism and microbiome regulates immune cells to adapt to their different niches. He is particularly interested in bone marrow remodeling and deciphering its role in diseases. His favorite immune cells are Macrophages. When he is not in the lab you can find him snacking, working to maintain too many houseplants, binging Netflix with his dog and partner, and enjoying being in nature.

Maria Rickman, BA (Email)
Researcher 1; Start date: Jan 2022.
Maria graduated from UMN in Spring 2023 with a degree in Biology with a minor in Nutrition. In her previous lab, her research focused on investigating a potential directional cue for cell polarization. Currently, her research project focuses on the brain regulation of pancreatic islet function in diabetes. Maria is interested in pursuing medicine and hopes to attend medical school. Outside of school she loves running, traveling, and reading. 

Yuan Zhang, PhD (Email)
Postdoctoral Associate; State date: May 2023.
Yuan received her PhD degree in Food Science and Engineering from Southwest University in 2022. During PhD her study, she investigated the intervention of carbohydrates on antibiotic-induced gut microbiota disorders and resilience. Currently she is exploring the role of natural microbial exposure on host metabolism and immunity. Yuan is a cat person, outside the lab, she enjoys staying with her cat, cooking, hiking, and traveling.

Ifrah Aden (Email)
Undergraduate Researcher; Start date: Spring 2022.
Dean's First-Year Research and Creative Scholar; INPUT scholar

Zihao Wang (Email)
Undergraduate Researcher; Start date: June 2023.
Zihao is majoring in Human Physiology and will graduate in May 2024. He was in the Dean’s list. His directed research focuses on microbial regulation of host metabolism.