I am an assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. I earned my PhD in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University and master’s and dietetics degrees from the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Idaho.

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As an interdisciplinary behavioral scientist and registered dietitian, my research has focused on: (1) understanding the predictors of young children’s eating behaviors beginning early in life, and (2) using this information to develop innovative obesity preventive interventions that promote healthy dietary habits in a variety of naturalistic food environments.