Nutrition (PHD)

PhD

Nutrition
,

On Campus 90 cr

The Interdepartmental Nutrition Program's mission is to develop cutting-edge, multidisciplinary education and research programs that integrate animal biology and food to improve human and animal nutrition and health.

Description

The program offers an extensive curriculum and a wide range of research opportunities. Integrating the expertise of three departments allows students greater flexibility in tailoring their research and coursework to their personal and professional interests.

The department offers research-based degrees in several diverse areas of study: Animal Science, Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition, Community Nutrition and Health Promotion, Food Science, and Nutraceuticals.

Because of the diversity of degree programs offered through the Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences and the Nutrition Interdepartmental program, students are encouraged to refer to the Nutrition and Health Sciences website to learn more about areas of study and degree programs, admission requirements, and step-by-step instructions on how to apply.

Specializations

  • Community Nutrition & Health Promotion
    • On Campus

    The Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences offers graduate degrees within Research Areas and Professional Specializations that are driven by the graduate faculty.

    See Nutrition and Health Sciences for more information.

    Admission Requirements

    • GRE (optional)
    • Resume/CV
    • Personal Statement:  This statement (1-2 pages) is one of the most critical parts of your application. This is your opportunity to tell us about your personal and professional goals, why you desire a graduate degree in this area, and anything else that provides the Graduate Committee with a glimpse of "who you are." Demonstrate to the Graduate Committee that your goals have been well thought out and that you understand what you are getting into. If you have job and/or volunteer experience that is relevant to your academic pursuits, be sure to provide details. It is helpful to highlight your strengths, although you should also address any weaknesses (such as poor grades or low GRE scores) and describe how that will affect your success as a graduate student. If you believe that extenuating circumstances have hindered your academic progress, describe them in enough detail to help the Graduate Committee judge your application.
    • Faculty: Identify at least one (max 3) graduate faculty members with whom you are applying to work. Applicants must have faculty willing to accept them and serve as their faculty mentor.  After submitting their application, applicants should start communicating with faculty mentors with shared research interests to learn about faculty research, how the applicant would fit into the lab and if assistantship funding is available. A strong applicant identifies a clear and well-defined interest within one of the Nutrition and Health Sciences disciplines. It is the applicant's responsibility to contact faculty with similar interests. Do not contact every faculty member with a general interest. Take the time and explore faculty profiles and read their published papers to see if what they do also sparks an interest.
    • Three letters of recommendation.
    • Assistantship:  To be considered for an assistantship, check the appropriate boxes on the Funding section (on the application's Additional Information page) and upload your completed Assistantship Application in the Program Requirements Page.  See NUHS Graduate Programs for information.

    For financial consideration, apply by February 15 for Fall.

Applying for Admission

Standard requirements for all graduate programs

  • Application for Admission with $50 non-refundable application fee.
  • Transcripts (unofficial): Uploaded as part of application form.

    If International: Uploads must include all college- or university-level transcripts or mark sheets (records of courses and marks earned), with certificates, diplomas, and degrees plus certified English translations.

    After admission: Official documents are required from all students who are admitted and enroll. Photocopies of certified records are not acceptable. International students enrolled in other U.S. institutions may have certified copies of all foreign records sent directly to the Office of Graduate Studies by their current school’s registrar office.

  • If applicant’s native language is not English, verification of English proficiency is required.

    When sending TOEFL scores, our institution code is 6877 and a department code is not needed.

  • If applicant is not a US citizen and expects an F or J visa: financial information.
  • Applicants must also fulfill any additional requirements the department specifies at the time of application.

Additional requirements specific to this program

  • GRE (optional)
  • English Proficiency:  Minimum 550 paper TOEFL, 79 internet TOEFL, or 6.5 IELTS.
  • Resume/CV
  • Personal Statement: This statement is one of the most critical parts of your application. This is your opportunity to tell us about your personal and professional goals, why you desire a graduate degree in this area, and anything else that provides the Graduate Committee with a glimpse of "who you are." Demonstrate to the Graduate Committee that your goals have been well thought out and that you understand what you are getting into. If you have job and/or volunteer experience that is relevant to your academic pursuits, be sure to provide details. It is helpful to highlight your strengths, although you should also address any weaknesses (such as poor grades or low GRE scores) and describe how that will affect your success as a graduate student. If you believe extenuating circumstances have hindered your academic progress, describe them in enough detail to help the Graduate Committee judge your application. (1-2 pages)
  • Faculty: Identify at least one (max 3) graduate faculty members with whom you are applying to work. Applicants must have at least one advisor willing to accept them and serve as their faculty mentor; applicants who apply without a confirmed advisor will be denied.  Applicants must communicate with individual graduate faculty, providing compelling reasons why their application should be considered in addition to serving as their graduate research advisor. Detailing your volunteer, professional, and research experience as well as demonstrating passion and interest in their areas of research are key components.  Do not contact every faculty member with a general interest; take time to explore faculty profiles and read published papers to see whose research aligns with your interests.  Applicants should also ask potential advisors about faculty research, how the applicant would fit into the lab, and whether assistantship funding is available. 
  • Funding: See NUHS Graduate Programs for information about applying for graduate assistantships and fellowships.
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Academics:  Applicants should have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, biology, dietetics, exercise science, food science, health education, health sciences, hospitality/restaurant management, nutrition science, or other major related to their desired area of study.

Admission Application Deadlines

For financial consideration: February 15 for Fall

Program Faculty

Jennifer Auchtung (bio)

Microbiota, Diet-Host Interactions in Health and Disease

Tomasz Bednarski (bio)

Molecular mechanisms behind metabolic diseases pathogenesis with an emphasis on the role of aberrant lipid metabolism in cardiovascular and hepatic disorders

Andrew Benson (bio)

Diet-Microbiome-Host Interactions

Edward Deehan (bio)

Dietary Interventions in Humans to Study Diet-Gut-Microbiome-Health Inter-Relationships, Investigates how non-digestible compounds such as dietary fibers can be used to promote health through their actions in the gastrointestinal tract

Mary Drewnoski (bio)

Cow-calf and Growing Cattle Nutrition, Forage Production, Grazing Management

Amanda Higgins (bio)

Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention, Assessment & Treatment, Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Cultural Competence in Healthcare

Sarah Hortman (bio)

Nutritional Sciences, Public Health Science, Health Program Development, Health Behavior Theory, Community Nutrition and Health Education, Health Promotion, Chronic Disease Prevention

Lisa Karr (bio)

Human-Companion Animal Interactions, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Lena Luck (bio)

4-H Horse Program, Youth Horse Programs Work Group, Horse Advisory Committee, Adult 4-H Leader Certification Program, Youth 4-H Advancement Level Program, Online Study Courses for Advancement Level Program, NE Equine Webinar Series, Horse Adult and Youth Judges Training

Kacie McCarthy (bio)

Cow-Calf Management Systems, Cattle Reproduction, Ruminant Nutrition

Jessie Morrill (bio)

Beef Cattle, Beef Camera Grading, Beef Quality and Marbling, Heat Stress, Molecular Biology, Nutritional Biochemistry, Nutritional Value of Beef

Dennis Perkey (bio)

How Different Patient Populations Respond to Movement-Related Injuries

Jessica Petersen (bio)

Animal Functional Genomics

Kurt Piepenbrink (bio)

Bacterial adhesion and motility through surface structures, including host-microbe and inter-microbial interactions.

Jeffrey Price (bio)

Role of the Microbiome in Health and Disease

Sheila Purdum (bio)

Monogastric and Poultry Nutrition

Amanda Ramer-Tait (bio)

Host-Microbiota Interactions in Health & Disease, Influence of Diet on the Gut Microbiota, Nebraska Gnotobiotic Mouse Program (director)

Rick Rasby (bio)

Cattle Reproduction and Management Systems

Heather Rasmussen (bio)

Dietary intervention for gastrointestinal health, Dietary assessment, Translational and clinical nutrition

Bryan Reiling (bio)

Livestock Production, Management, and Evaluation

Devin Rose (bio)

Grain and pulse quality and gut health

Ty Schmidt (bio)

Muscle Biology and Physiology

Hyun-Seob Song (bio)

Gut Microbiome Modeling, Human Organ Modeling, Computational Drug Discovery, Personalized Nutrition

Matthew Spangler (bio)

Quantitative Genetics, Genomic Prediction and Selection

Richard Stowell (bio)

Animal Housing Systems, Odor and Gas Emissions, Heat Stress Abatement

Jayne Stratton (bio)

Validation of Food Processes for Safety and Quality

Sunil K. Sukumaran (bio)

Taste Signaling, Taste Cell Regeneration, Taste -Oral Microbiome Interactions, Molecular Genetics, Mouse Models

Gary Sullivan (bio)

Value-Added and Processed Meats Quality, Safety and Nutritional Value, Nitrate/Nitric Oxide Chemistry

Shinya Takahashi (bio)

Resistance Training, Physical Activity Measure, Healthy Living

Ivan J. Vechetti Jr. (bio)

Exercise physiology, microRNAs, Extracellular vesicles, Metabolic pathways

Rossana Villa-Rojas (bio)

Product Safety Through Innovative Processing and Sanitation, MS Project Advising Coordinator

Bing Wang (bio)

Microbial Risk Assessment, Predictive Microbiology, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Curtis Weller (bio)

Processing of Food and Agricultural Materials, Food Science and Technology Department Head

Brett White (bio)

Embryology, Endocrinology

Ruth Woiwode (bio)

Animal Behavior and Well-being, Animal Care and Handling, Livestock Behavior, Handling, and Welfare, Stockmanship and Handler Skill

Jennifer Wood (bio)

Stress Effects on Oocyte Quality, Embryo and Placenta Development

Yanbin Yin (bio)

Bioinformatics, Genomics, Microbiome, Genomic Data Mining, Genome Evolution

Sabine Zempleni (bio)

Nutrition and Sciences Communication

Janos Zempleni (bio)

Extracellular vesicles, Drug Delivery, Exosomes, Human Nutrition, Infant Nutrition, Microbiome, Milk, Non-coding RNA

Tianjing Zhao (bio)

Statistical Genetics and Genomics, Quantitative Genetics, Multi-Omics

UNL Graduate Chairs and staff please complete the program update form to provide edits. Updates to graduate program pages are made on an annual basis in conjunction with the Graduate Application for Admission.