Mary Anne Amalaradjou, PhD, DVM
Associate Professor
Animal Science
Research Interests
My research primarily focuses on food safety and gut health. Specifically, it is targeted towards understanding pathogen survival and persistence along the food chain, their virulence attributes and the application of probiotics to control foodborne pathogens. I also study the efficacy of currently applied intervention (hurdle) technologies to reduce pathogen transmission during pre- and post-harvest processing of fresh produce, meat, and dairy products. Beyond controlling pathogens in food systems my research investigates the potential application of probiotics and functional foods in the prevention and treatment of gut pathologies. Major efforts in my lab are directed towards elucidating the molecular cross-talk between diet, microbiome, and host on all levels of regulation, namely, genes, proteins and metabolites and developing evidence-based dietary interventions for restoring health and preventing chronic pathologies. Through all aspects of my research, my main objective is to improve food safety and promote public health. My research program has been funded by intramural (UConn Research Excellence Program and Storrs Agricultural Experimental Stations- USDA NIFA HATCH) and extramural funding agencies including the Center for Produce Safety, USDA, NSF, and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture.
Education
Ph.D., UConn, 2010
MS, UConn, 2009
MS, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, India, 2004
DVM, Pondicherry University, India, 2002
mary_anne.amalaradjou@uconn.edu | |
Phone | (860) 486-6620 |
Mailing Address | 17 Manter Road Unit 4040 Storrs, CT, 06269 |