Dr. Swathi Nedunchezian has joined the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Human Sciences.
She will work under the mentorship of Dr. Sankar Devarajan, professor and program director of nutrition and food science.
At UAPB, she will contribute to a project investigating the medicinal properties of Arkansas-grown rice cultivars and identifying bioactive compounds that may help prevent and manage chronic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and age-related conditions.
The research is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA).
“Our research aims to better understand how rice bran phytochemicals influence inflammation, oxidative stress, metabolic disorders and gut health,” Dr. Devarajan said. “Our goal is to produce scientific evidence supporting the concept of food as medicine.”
Dr. Swathi will study how natural compounds found in rice bran affect blood vessel health and the gut microbiome, the community of beneficial microorganisms that lives in the digestive system.
“Using advanced laboratory models, she will examine how these compounds influence the intestinal barrier, inflammation and gut bacteria,” Dr. Devarajan said. “The findings could improve scientists’ understanding of how rice bran supports gut health and may help prevent or manage chronic diseases such as diabetes.”
As a postdoctoral research fellow, Dr. Swathi will design and conduct laboratory experiments to investigate the health benefits of rice bran extracts using cellular and molecular approaches.
She will analyze research data, mentor undergraduate students, contribute to grant writing and project management, present research findings at scientific conferences and publish results in peer-reviewed journals.
“My education and research background in biomedical and nutritional sciences fit well with this position,” Dr. Swathi said. “It aligns closely with my interest in translational research, allowing me to apply my knowledge to projects with the potential to improve human health. I am especially grateful to UAPB and my mentor, Dr. Sankar Devarajan, for providing me with this opportunity, and I look forward to contributing to both current and future research endeavors.”
Dr. Swathi said the appointment will allow her to contribute to UAPB’s USDA-NIFA research initiative while expanding opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in high-impact research.
She believes the project’s findings could help inform new nutrition-based strategies to improve community health.
“We are excited to have Dr. Swathi Nedunchezian join our team,” Dr. Devarajan said. “Her expertise in biomedical research and applied nutrition will strengthen our interdisciplinary efforts by bridging nutrition, clinical biochemistry and pharmacology while advancing translational research to develop strategies for preventing and managing chronic diseases.”
Dr. Swathi earned her doctorate in medicinal and applied chemistry from Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan, where her research focused on biomaterials, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering approaches for osteochondral regeneration.
Before joining UAPB, she conducted research at Taipei Medical University, the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research experience spans biomaterials, immunology, inflammation biology, gut organoids, molecular biology and translational biomedical research.
