Graduate Student Travel Award

The Personalized Nutrition Initiative Graduate Student Travel Award Fund was created through a generous donation by Drs. Joshua Anthony and Tracy Gautsch Anthony. The goal is to provide opportunities for graduate students to participate (remotely or in person) in scientific conferences, workshops, or professional development activities related to personalized nutrition.

Award recipients will receive up to $1,000 deposited to their University of Illinois student account.

Next application deadline: Spring 2027 

Spring 2026 Awardees

Benjamin Levine, PhD student in the Division of Nutritional Sciences
Ben holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked as an Analytical Chemist at Pfizer before starting graduate school in the fall of 2022.
Advisor: Brett Loman, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, PNI Affiliate.
Research area: His research investigates how dietary and psychological stressors shape gastrointestinal motility via host-microbe interactions.
He will present at the 2026 American Neurogastroenterology & Motility Society Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, in August 2026. His presentation is titled, “Prebiotic inulin ingestion confers resilience against psychological stress-induced intestinal dysmotility.”

María Gabriela Sanabria Véaz, PhD student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Maria holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Puerto Rica and is a registered dietitian.
Advisor: Hannah Holscher, PhD, RD, Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Associate Director of PNI.
Research area: Her research focuses on how nutrients and the food matrix modulate gut microbiome composition and function. Currently, she is characterizing the fiber types in Hass avocados, evaluating changes in fiber composition during ripening, and investigating the effect of avocado intake on gut and cognitive health.
She will present at the NUTRITION 2026 conference in Washington, DC, in July 2026. Her presentation is titled “Persea americana for Total Health (PATH-2): Effects of Avocado Consumption on Gastrointestinal Health in a Randomized, Crossover, Complete Feeding Trial”.

Nadine Veasley, PhD student in the Division of Nutritional Sciences
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Iowa State University.
Advisor: Hannah Holscher, PhD, RD, Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Associate Director of PNI.
Research area: Her research focuses on the effects of dietary fiber on metabolizable energy and the human gut microbiome.
She will present at the NUTRITION 2026 conference in Washington, DC, in July 2026. Her presentation is titled “Characterizing Relationships Between Gut Microbiota, Nutrient Digestibility, and Metabolizable Energy.”

Christian Corral, PhD student in the Department of Health and Kinesiology
Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Health and a Master of Science in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Advisor: Susan Aguinaga, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Health and Kinesiology.
Research area: His research focuses on transdisciplinary approaches to improving cognitive and physical fitness and on applying data science to understand health.
He will present at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, London, UK, in July 2026. His presentation is titled “Using Machine Learning for Identifying Nutritional Correlates of Cognition Among Middle-Aged and Older Latinos.”

Diana Ximena Yrigoyen Rosas, PhD student in the Division of Nutritional Sciences
She holds a degree in Food Chemistry Engineering from the Autonomous University of Querétaro.
Advisor: Sayeepriyadarshini “Sayee” Anakk, PhD, Professor, School of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, and PNI Affiliate.
Research area: Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying MASLD and its relationship with adipose tissue.
She will present at the Lipids and Lipoproteins in Cardiometabolic and Neurodegenerative Diseases Kern Lipid Conference 2026, Breckenridge, CO, in August 2026. Her presentation is titled “Adipose FXR Loss Impairs Angiogenic Gene Expression and Promotes Hepatic Steatosis in a Murine Model Upon Western Diet.”