Dr. Nitin is interested in using a combination of interdisciplinary approaches encompassing biomolecular engineering, mathematical modeling, material science and molecular imaging to study the following key research areas.
Research
The research interests of the laboratory can be broadly classified into two main categories:
(a) Food Engineering Research: The goal of this research plan is to develop technologies for addressing key issues in areas of food safety and food for health initiatives (e.g. development and validation of non-thermal food processing operations for food safety; engineering of food formulations to improve the bioavailability of nutraceuticals). These projects will provide students with skills in areas of molecular imaging, spectroscopy, mathematical modeling, molecular biology, microbiology and material science with a strong foundation in food engineering.
(b) Biological/Biomedical Engineering Research: The goal of this research is to develop molecular imaging technologies from a single cell level to a whole body imaging. These imaging technologies will enable early stage detection of diseases, novel delivery vehicles for therapeutic applications and quantification of molecular processes for a fundamental understanding of pathophysiology. These projects will provide students with skills in areas of molecular imaging, mathematical modeling, molecular biology and material science with a strong foundation in bioengineering.