Author: Luo, Yangchao

PhD Dissertation Defense by Bai Qu

Congratulations to Bai Qu on successfully and proudly defending her Doctoral Dissertation today (Nov. 21, 2024)! This is a great achievement in her graduate education at UConn and a significant milestone in her life!

Bai earned Master of Science degrees from both the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining my lab in Fall 2019. As of today, she has authored 9 first-author peer-reviewed journal articles with over 500 citations, with more papers to come, soon. Bai is passionate about developing sustainable, science-driven solutions for the food and beverage industry. Bai has recently accepted a position as a Senior Food Scientist at Balchem Human Nutrition & Health. We wish Bai the very best of success in her future endeavors!

Bai Defense

Dr. Luo Named to the World’s Highly Cited Researcher List, 2024

Dr. Luo has been recognized by the Web of Science as one of the most Highly Cited Researchers worldwide in 2024, ranked among the top 1% by citations! This year, only three University of Connecticut professors have received this recognition.

https://clarivate.com/highly-cited-researchers/

Highly Cited Researchers have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field(s) of research. Each researcher selected has authored multiple Highly Cited Papers™ which rank in the top 1% by citations for their field(s) and publication year in the Web of Science™ over the past decade. However, citation activity is not the sole selection indicator. This list, based on citation activity is then refined using qualitative analysis and expert judgment as we observe for evidence of community-wide recognition from an international and wide-ranging network of citing authors.

Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000.

Dr. Luo has been named to the World's Most Highly Cited Researcher List five times in the past six years: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

IAFP – 2023

Our lab attended the IAFP (International Association of Food Protection) 2023 Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada! Our graduate students presented a total of 8 posters and everyone enjoyed the first international travel after the pandemic!

IAFP group photo

Dr. Luo received 2023 CAHNR Excellence in Research Award

Every year the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) and the College Alumni Board recognize the accomplishments of our distinguished alumni, faculty, staff and supporters.

Dr. Luo is the recipient of 2023 CAHNR Excellence in Research Award. This award is designed to recognize UConn CAHNR faculty members and/or staff, demonstrating a superior commitment to an on-going research program. Please read more about this on UConn Today. In 2020, Dr. Luo was awarded the Donald M. Kinsman Award for Excellence in Teaching, an award designed to recognize superior teaching by early-career UConn CAHNR faculty members - read more about this on UConn Today.

Luo-Awards-Honors_CAHNR_2023

New Publication by Pingxu Qin

Congratulations to Pingxu Qin on having her review article published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research. The article, entitled "A review on plant-based proteins from soybean: Health benefits and soy product development", provides an overview on the health and environmental benefits soybean protein, and its amino acid composition and protein digestibility. As one of the most popular plant proteins, its byproducts-making processes (heat processing, protein isolation, and fermentation) were discussed in detail in this review. Finally, the relationship between soy protein consumption and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, women menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, cancer, and abdominal body fat, was highlighted by analyzing recent clinical studies. Please read the paper here.

Graphical Abstract

Graphical Abstract_Pingxu Qin

Highlights

  • Proteins from plant and animal sources were compared.
  • The processing technologies for manufacturing various soy-based products were introduced.
  • The health benefits of soy-based products on chronic diseases were summarized from recent clinical studies.
  • The preventive effects of soy-based products on various cancers were mainly discussed.

Dr. Luo Named to the World’s Highly Cited Researcher List, Again

Dr. Luo has been recognized by Web of Science as the most Highly Cited Researchers in 2021 across the globe, ranked among top 1% by citations! Please read the News @ UConn Today. There are only six University of Connecticut professors who have received this recognition.

The 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list, released recently by the Web of Science Group, identifies scientists and social scientists who produced multiple papers ranking in the top one percent by citations for their field and year of publication, demonstrating significant research influence among their peers.

Dr. Luo has been named to the World's Most Highly Cited Researcher List in 2019 and 2021.

Highly Cited Researcher Certificate_2021
Highly Cited Certificate_2019

Lab Alum Taoran Wang featured on UConn Today

Taoran_UConnToday

Read the story at UConn Today.

Taoran Wang is combining her life-long passion for food with her UConn education to expand innovation for plant-based food company, Beyond Meat.

Wang came to the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources from China to earn her master’s degree in allied health sciences. During her time in the master’s program, Wang realized she had a passion for food science and decided to continue her education at UConn. Wang completed her Ph.D. in nutritional sciences in 2019.

Read More