Maria Carlota Dao, Ph.D.
Lab Director and Assistant Professor
Dr. Maria Carlota Dao is an Assistant Professor of Human Nutrition in the Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems at the University of New Hampshire. As an interdisciplinary scientist focused on obesity research, she investigates the interplay of cardiometabolic risks, dietary and psychosocial factors, and the gut microbiota. Through this work she seeks to address obesity in health disparity populations. Prior to becoming a faculty member at UNH, Dr. Dao worked as a scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. Her training includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the Sorbonne University and INSERM (Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition) in France, and a PhD in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
To learn more about Dr. Dao, visit her UNH faculty page or visit her Google Scholar page for a complete list of her publications.
Courses Dr. Dao Teaches: BMS 799H: Senior Honors Thesis, NUTR 720/820: Community Nutrition, NUTR 927: Nutr Gut Micr
Brandy Moser, MS, RDN
Research Assistant & PhD Student
Brandy is a PhD Student in the Nutritional Sciences and a Dietetic Intern. She recently defended her master's at UNH, which focused on the gut microbiome and inflammation in Bhutanese refugee adults in NH. She is eager to continue her research with the Dao Lab focusing on the gut microbiome, nutrition, and human health. When Brandy isn’t in the lab she loves apple picking and hopes to run her own farm one day.
Rawan AlSarraf, M.Sc.
Research Assistant & PhD Student
Rawan is a PhD student in the Nutritional Sciences Department at UNH and a research assistant in the Dao Research Lab. Her educational background includes clinical applications of nutrition before entering the research field. She is interested in nutrition epidemiology and the social determinants of nutrition status. Outside of the nutrition world, she is a competitive national weightlifter for her home country, Kuwait.
Yobanna Taylor, B.S.
Project Coordinator | Bilingual: Spanish & English
Yobanna coordinates the study visits and conducts the study interviews; she also focuses in recruitment and community outreach. She loves to be in contact with the community of NH and hopes to keep contributing to research through her work at UNH. She enjoys baking, traveling, reading, and spending time with her family.
Whitney Fitzgerald, B.A.
Master's Student
Whitney graduated from the University of Virginia in 2023 with B.A. in Spanish. After spending the summer of 2023 at the Dao Lab as a Research Assistant, she decided to return to UNH to purse a Master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences. She is interested in diet, chronic disease, and nutritional interventions using language- and culturally-concordant lifestyle educational materials. Following her graduate degree, Whitney plans to attend medical school to become a physician.
Frankie Schembri, B.S., M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Frankie is a first year Master's student at UNH interested in pursuing a career as a clinical dietitian and researcher serving older adult patients. She hopes to investigate the protective effects of certain foods and nutrients against diseases of aging, including neurodegenerative disease. At the Dao Lab, Frankie is excited to expand her biochemical laboratory and analytical skills, and contribute to the Lab’s work understanding associations between diet, the intestinal microbiome, and health status. Prior to studying at UNH, Frankie worked as a science and technology journalist.
To learn more about ongoing and future research study opportunities, please submit a contact form on our Contact Us page. You may also reach the lab at 603-862-4260.
Lab Mascots
